There ain't no Moonlight, after Midnight
by GlossyFresh
Summary: Victoria Hartwell led a life to be envied. She was with Roger Davies, the most attractive boy in her school and the Ravenclaw Quiddich captain. Together they formed a very formidable power couple. Even Fred Weasley who rivaled the popularity of the couple felt he couldn't win her affections
1. Chapter 1

**Note: set in the 'Goblet of Fire' year, so in Harry Potter's fourth year.**

* * *

"I'm bored." A young girl of sixteen whined to her boyfriend, hopelessly lazing around on the couch in their tent to emphasise her boredom.

Victoria "Vicki" Hartwell knew she was being a little unreasonable, but she was still feeling very bored. Both her parents and her boyfriend's parents were very contemporary and had allowed the two to attend the Quiddich World Cup, unaccompanied. Not many parents in the muggle world would be comfortable letting two teens pumped with hormones spend a weekend alone, but it was an even more absurd concept in the wizarding world.

Her boyfriend's parents were the one who had suggested it. The summer holidays marked a year since Vicki and her boyfriend got together (or as Vicki always half-joked, a year since she 'grew up' and started wearing nice clothes and make-up and got her boyfriend to notice her) so her love interest's parents suggested the two attend together as a nice little anniversary outing, as well as a way to celebrate that the two had been chosen as Ravenclaw prefects for the upcoming school year. Her boyfriend was also the Quiddich captain for their house, so he had a vested interest in attending too, he could really start networking if he wanted to continue playing the sport after school.

Vicki's parents were a little more hesitant. They weren't the conservative type, in fact they were one of the very few couples in the wizarding world who had openly been divorced, an almost unknown concept, as a good chunk of the wizarding population thought and lived like it was still the middle ages. On the same note Max Hartwell and Maureen Smith (formerly Hartwell when she was still married) were reluctant to let their only daughter at the tender age of sixteen spend some time alone away with her teen boyfriend.

Being a Ravenclaw, it wasn't too much of a challenge to talk her parents into letting her going.

Surprisingly it was her father who relented first. They were out for dinner and got into a discussion about how conservative the wizarding world was, after an unwelcome comment was made to her father about his ten-year old divorce, as if it was a fresh event. Vicki took a swig of her Butterbeer and mentioned the contrast between magic folk and muggles: muggles let their teenagers get piercings, follow American pop culture, have boyfriends/girlfriends and show their bare midriff and yet muggles usually settle down in the late twenties or early thirties. Magic folk on the other hand supressed their children and they all usually ended up married and pregnant within six months of graduating, usually into very unhappy marriages they were too scared to leave. Max, Vicki's father immediately blurted out that he whole heartedly supported her going to the World Cup with Roger, her boyfriend.

Maureen was a big softie who had an even softer spot for her daughter. All Vicki had to do to convince her mother to let her go was to brag about her achievements. She had gotten quite a few O.W.L.S and of course was chosen by Dumbledore himself to be the sixth year female Ravenclaw prefect for the upcoming school year. After less-than-subtly hinting she deserved a reward and had proven herself a good daughter, Maureen sighed and gave her daughter permission to go to the World Cup with Roger.

Roger had managed to secure them some pretty good tickets, and they only had to arrive two days early. In order to discreetly transport hundreds of thousands of Quiddich fans internationally without attracting Muggle attention, the price of the tickets determined how early you had to arrive and did not just affect the seat purchased. Some people in their camp had arrived two weeks earlier, and considering how bored Vicki was after one day, she felt for those poor souls who were forced to camp in the forest for two weeks.

Roger Davies frowned as he turned to face his girlfriend. He felt sorry for her. She enjoyed Quiddich, but he knew it didn't come close to the passion he felt for the sport. They had also run into some of his Quiddich friends from school the night before, who stayed in their tent very late with their predictions for the match. Roger knew that wasn't Vicki's preferred plan for the night when she was nibbling his ear and had her hand strategically placed on his thigh, but his friends ended up staying the night.

They had only scattered off to their own tents twenty-minutes ago, and Vicki was already complaining she was bored.

"Go for a walk, then." Roger suggested to her, wanting her to get out of the tent. He felt a little sorry for her, but he didn't want her moodiness to bring him down. The Quiddich Match of the century was scheduled to start in a few hours, and he didn't want a nagging girlfriend to spoil this for him.

Vicki sent him a half smile, as she started to feel guilty. The exact same thoughts were going through her head. She came here to watch Quiddich with Roger, it was a Quiddich themed holiday. It dawned on her she was being unreasonable, and she thought a stroll would cure her boredom.

"Do you want me to try and find you something while I'm out? I'm just going to walk around the camp, but I can see if there are villages nearby if you need something specific?" Vicki offered Roger, as she heaved herself off the couch and inched herself towards the door.

"Sure. Find some people to come swing by for a party after Ireland win." Roger grinned to his girlfriend.

Vicki only beamed towards her boyfriend before she bounded out the tent flaps.

Victoria Hartwell and Roger Davies were two of the most popular students at Hogwarts, but it hadn't always been that way. Roger in his earlier years was awkward looking, with shaggy hair and terrible conversation making techniques. When he joined the Quiddich Team as a Chaser a few of his older team mates took him under their wing, and by the time he was appointed captain he was suave, stylish and had the best hair out of all the boys in his year level.

Vicki had an ugly duckling story of her own. Her first few years at Hogwarts she was frumpy looking. Like her current boyfriend, she had no sense of style and was too shy to string two words together to anyone else but teachers, or her small group of friends. Unlike Roger she didn't have a Cinderella moment, she didn't have anyone to show her the ropes. Her big 'transformation' was due to good old fashioned hormones. She used to roll her eyes at her friends who giggled about boys, but halfway through fourth year she started noticing boys in her year level. This naturally led to a course of developing a sense of fashion and flattering hairstyles and make-up.

Vicki and Roger had barely conversed prior to their relationship starting. They were almost completely unaware of the other's existence. They shared quite a few classes and would pass each other in the Ravenclaw common room but not a thought went through each of their minds upon doing so.

It was at the start of the previous summer that they conversed for the first time. A few weeks after school broke up for the summer one of the Ravenclaw girls, Mary, decided to throw a get together for the Ravenclaws about to go into fifth year.

Surprisingly it was Roger that got there before Vicki. He couldn't help but grin at the girls who stood around whispering and casting lustful looks his way. A few of the girls in his village had been acting the same way towards him this summer, he was getting used to be regarded as handsome by girls his age, and he purposely styled his hair and wore a nice pair of jeans and button down shirt, getting a little cocky from the attention he was receiving.

He was however caught off guard when a certain girl walked in. Long shiny hair, bright eyes and a flowing flowery summer dress. His friends nudged him the second she walked in, and they all whispered exactly what he was thinking

"Damn, she got hot."

Vicki had a lot more confidence than she used to. She had flirted with some older muggle boys around London and convinced them to buy alcohol for her, but she still held some shyness in her. She could only smile at Roger nervously as she caught him looking at her. Luckily for her Roger had taken a fancy to her and was cocky about it, approaching her as she tried to speak with Mary about what they had been up to on the holidays.

Vicki did abandon her conversation with Mary and went outside to speak with Roger, where they remained all night. Mary had a pond outside with many glowing magical creatures that inhabited it, so in the warm night Roger and Vicki abandoned the party to get to know each other better, taking a few sneaky swigs of some muggle rum that Vicki had snuck in for some liquid courage, which ended up coming in handy.

Roger remembers that night vividly and how badly he wanted to kiss her as he watched her laugh at his stupid jokes, the warm summer breeze causing her silky hair to flow behind her. He had turned into a cocky bastard (the words his own parents used) but he had found one weakness: Victoria Hartwell. He was too nervous to plant his lips onto hers, even as they said goodbye that night he couldn't bring himself to ask her out again, he had to do it by owl three days later.

Two weeks later he got his kiss. He also got many, many more that summer. By the time the end of summer rolled around and boarding the Hogwarts Express together, they were the school's new hottest item. Both of them knew how to bounce off each other's personality to their advantage, and both of them knew they would be taking over Hogwarts that year. They were correct.

Roger was the charming and handsome Ravenclaw Quiddich captain, he played the popular athlete quite well. Gryffindor may have won the House Cup, but he got a lot of Ravenclaws interested in their team again, all thanks to Roger's charm.

Vicki played the role of the sweet and supportive girlfriend. She still retained some of the shyness of her earlier teen years but she did coyly exaggerate some of it to be well liked. She was approachable by the student body, even a lot of people from other houses approached her if she could help them with something. She had also become a bit of a party girl, people enjoyed having her presence at their events, she could be the life of the party.

Although Roger and Vicki had no evil intentions of their popularity and were genuinely nice people, they did enjoy their popularity and enjoyed being Hogwarts' power couple. They were young, attractive, in love and in the best years of their life. Any other student in their position would thrive the same way.

Vicki smoothed out the clothes she was wearing as she jumped off the couch. As it was quite early and the tail end of summer the weather was quite crisp, so she had thrown on a thin woollen top and a pair of jeans. This was rare for her, when she wasn't wearing her Hogwarts uniform she only usually wore dresses her skirts. But she was a mini-holiday, and didn't mind that she wearing something a bit different.

She heard Roger call out to not be out too late, but didn't bother to respond as she ventured out into the campsite. She was in casual jeans now, but she wanted to be back well before the World Cup so she could dress-up in the outfit she had been preparing since Ireland qualified for the World Cup.


	2. Chapter 2

Vicki was strolling around the campsite confidently, water bottle in hand as she took sips in the sun. She was almost regretting her decision to not swap the jeans she was wearing for a trademark skirt before she left, but was glad she chose to bring some water.

People watching was one of Vicki's favourite things to do. Muggles, magic folk, it was always interesting to her. Roger wasn't as fascinated in Vicki's hobby as she was so he rarely joined her, but Vicki loved seeing people of all different walks of life, smiling when something was positive and jumping to judgmental conclusions in her head about negative things she witnessed.

Therefore walking through a camp full of people with different backgrounds, nationalities, socio-economic status and many other categories made for a fun time for Vicki. Some people made her smile, others made her scowl but everyone was making her finally enjoy her time away from everything, she was definitely enjoying her time with the masses more than with Roger and his Quiddich friends.

It was while she was waiting at the tap to refill her water bottle that she saw a familiar face. She had seen a few fellow Hogwarts student and smiled and waved to anyone she was able to recognise. But this student was one that was in her direct circle of friends. Cedric Diggory wasn't a close friend to Victoria, but they had shared many conversations over the years albeit usually shallow and quick ones. She still felt confident enough to at least stop and say hello to him. He was a year older than her but he was also a fellow Prefect, so every now and again their Prefect duties bought them together, even though they were in different houses.

"C'mere, let me carry one of those for you." Vicki said as she approached Cedric, grabbing one of the three heavy buckets he had full of water, as she saw him struggling to carry the third one.

"Oh, no Vicki. I couldn't ask you to do that. It's very nice to see you though." Cedric grinned as he tried to feebly put up a fight, losing to Vicki as he didn't have the hands to attempt to grab the bucket back.

"Well it's a pleasure seeing you too, Cedric. How are you enjoying your summer holidays?" Vicki beamed.

Due to the heavy buckets the two had a slower pace than usual, and managed to make light conversation the whole time. They mostly shared anecdotes about their summer, Cedric had spent it with his family and friends, whilst Vicki had spent almost every waking second with her boyfriend in a typical teenage romance fashion.

"So, who are you here with anyway?" Vicki asked Cedric, as his tent came into view.

"My father. But we travelled with the Weasley's through a portkey." Cedric grinned slightly as they both waddled towards a well set up tent.

"Oh god, I feel for you. I think I endured enough of Percy Weasley last year for a lifetime. Thank god he only had the chance to be Head Boy once, would have handed my badge in otherwise." Vicki winced.

All Hogwarts Prefects were under the control of the Head Boy and Head Girl for that year. For the previous school year that had been Percy Weasley and his girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater. Vicki hadn't minded Penelope. She was a fellow Ravenclaw. A little boring, but she was harmless. Percy on the other hand was a ball breaker. He was harsh on his Prefects and always held them to an impossible standard.

Once Percy ordered Vicki to give up her weekends for a month to spend all her free time patrolling the grounds. Roger initially got out of it as he spent most weekend afternoons training the Ravenclaw Quidditch team (As Oliver Wood from Gryffindor always booked the pitch every early morning) but he ended up volunteering to accompany Vicki in her patrols and they spend their entire shift snogging. After shouting at them for a substantial amount of time Percy tried to dob them into their head of house, Professor Flitwick. Professor Flitwick assured Percy it would be dealt with 'appropriately' but only winked and allowed the young couple to leave his office once Percy was out of sight. Professor Flitwick was very soft on all students, but he had a very soft spot for his two fifth year Prefects who had found love.

After that Vicki got her weekends back, but Percy remained just as tough on her. Not just Vicki though, he was unreasonable towards all of the Prefects under him. They all spoke nastily about Percy behind his back. Well, all but Cedric. He was too much of a good guy to speak about someone if they weren't around to defend themselves.

"Nah, our old Head Boy wasn't making the portkey trip. I assume he'll be apparating. As will I next week, got my test booked on my seventeenth birthday." Cedric proudly stated, trying to move the topic away from negativity.

"Well congratulations, have fun being an adult and stuff." Vicki teased.

Cedric was about to retort in a jovial manner but they had then reached the tent. Cedric's father was sitting outside on a chair that had been set up, quietly reading the Daily Prophet amongst all the craziness surrounding the tent due to the World Cup.

He looked up as he saw his son approach, but wore a huge smile as he saw the company Cedric was with.

"Well hello, Victoria. What a nice surprise. I actually just bumped into your father just a couple of days ago. Please, take a seat. Tell me all about your summer." Amos gushed, and without being prompted Cedric pulled out a seat for Vicki.

* * *

Vicki ended up having two quick cups of tea with Amos and Cedric. She had only met Amos a few times, but found him quite pleasant. Usually she found parents spoke to her in an accidental condescending tone, asking condescending questions. Amos spoke to Vicki as an equal, asking interesting questions.

Vicki assumed it intertwined with Cedric's intelligence. She came to the conclusion that either Amos spoke to Cedric and his friends with substance because Cedric was intelligent, or Cedric was intelligent because Amos spoke with substance. Vicki didn't mind which one it was, she just appreciated the great conversation and had a nice time speaking with the two. She certainly enjoyed it a lot more than Roger's Quiddich talks with his friends crashing their tent.

She bid them both farewell and promised to catch up with Cedric on the train ride to school, even if it was just for a quick hello, and continued walking around the campsite.

Not too long after she noticed a family with flaming red hair sitting outside two tents, attempting to cook food and running commentary about the pass byers.

"That was Cuthbert Mockridge, Head of the Goblin Liason Office…" the family patriarch was explaining out loud.

Vicki knew very little of the Weasley family, but knew of them. She knew presently there were only four members left at Hogwarts. The twins were in her year level, whilst the youngest brother and only sister were a few year levels below her. The only member she'd really had anything to do with was Percy through her Prefect duties. She shared a lot of classes with the twins but had very little interactions with them.

They were popular like Vicki, but in different ways. The twins were jokers who bought joy to people's lives. They were well liked by everyone (Well, except the Slytherins) and thus were 'popular'. Vicki on the other hand was an 'it' girl. Pretty and polite, she was popular through association and not through her actions. Therefore although they were all popular, the twins ran in different social circles to Vicki and therefore little interactions between them were to be had.

"…and there is Victoria Hartwell, Hogwarts Heartbreaker, undercover nerd, society girl…" She heard one of the twins say as she walked past, mocking their father's commentary of the adults walking by.

Vicki stopped like a deer in headlights and didn't know how to respond. On one hand she was flattered that someone who didn't know her well would refer to her using those words. On the other she still held some modesty and didn't want to answer to that line.

"Fred! That's incredibly rude!" The youngest girl present, the only female daughter of the Weasley clan shouted, reprimanding her older brother. Ginny really looked up to the twins and sometimes felt they were her favourite brothers, but she looked up to the favoured Vicki Hartwell even more, sometimes fantasising that one day they'd become friends and she could be popular as well.

"Hello, Victoria is it? I'm Arthur Weasley. I hope my son didn't just cause you grief." Arthur cheerfully greeted Vicki, offering his hand.

Vicki looked between the twins and their father, before taking his hand enthusiastically.

"Your two boys, never. Not since my first week at Hogwarts anyway…" Vicki grinned, deciding to play along a bit to get the boys in a bit of hot water with their father.

"Take a seat, we'd love to hear about all of this." Ron, the youngest brother said as he pulled up a spare seat for the girl. He secretly loved it when the twins got in trouble, as funny as he found their pranks, he sometimes got pleasure out of it for all the times they turned their pranks onto him.

Vicki awkwardly shifted her weight between her legs and bit her lip. She had the perfect amount of charisma and people skills to do well when thrust into awkward social situations, but that didn't mean she enjoyed it. She had no problem with the Weasley family, especially considering Percy wasn't present. However she still didn't know any of the family members well, and didn't know how she would trudge through a social situation with them.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude on what you were doing…" Vicki hesitated, taking a step back from the chair pulled out.

"It's nothing formal. We're just watching the people as they come through the camp." Arthur explained.

Vicki didn't even bother responding as she immediately sunk down into the seat that Ron pulled out for her. If a group of people were doing one of her favourite activities for entertainment, they were a group of people worth spending time with.

"So, please do tell me about the time my two trouble making sons caused you problems." Arthur addressed Vicki, and she could see he didn't know whether to be jovial or stern about his son's behaviour.

Fred watched the newcomer intently, and smirked at her as she flashed him a smile. This was one of their very few interactions since the anecdote that Vicki was about to launch into, which happened right at the start of their time at Hogwarts.

"Well, apparently it was an accident, but I was an easy target back then. I used to be real awkward and unfortunate looking on the other side of puberty. Anyway, it was one of our first potion lessons, and Snape was being a total git as always," Vicki started to explain. All of the current Hogwarts students amongst them let out a laugh except for Hermione who didn't look too impressed at a teacher being insulted "he set this really hard task for first years, we had to draft up this potion that would turn anything the colour of the house that the drafter was associated with that the potion touched. I was one of the very few in the lesson that successfully changed many objects to blue and bronze by submerging them into my cauldron."

Vicki paused for a moment, making sure that she still had everyone's attention. Receiving a round of 'uh huhs' she continued.

"So we hand a sample to the front of the room for Snape to assess. He makes some comment that mine was the only 'acceptable' one or something like that. Next thing I know I fall head over heels and my hair falls into my cauldron. I know for a fact I did not slip, and those two behind me were laughing." Vicki recalled, shooting a mock glare at the two twins who were laughing and shaking their heads at the memory.

Surprisingly, it wasn't Arthur who reprimanded the boys, it was Harry and Ron's best friend, Hermione.

"I can't believe you two would push someone into a cauldron! That's so dangerous, it's not funny, stop laughing!" Hermione growled at the twins.

"Tell that to Hartwell, she's laughing too!" George heartily chuckled as he pointed to Vicki, using her surname was they were hardly on first name basis.

It was true. Vicki was doubled over in laughter herself. Fred couldn't take his eyes off her as he laughed. Being in different houses he rarely saw her in her natural element, and he couldn't recall a time he saw her laugh properly. He had seen her smile, chuckle and giggle with her group of friends, but not a hearty laugh, and he did watch her a lot. It made him wonder if she laughed that much in the Ravenclaw common room.

"Yep, I got myself up and my hair shone blue and bronze. It was kind of cool actually, Professor Flitwick really liked it. Unfortunately it was Professor McGonagall who forced me to go to Madam Pomfrey to get it back to back to my natural colour. As unfortunate looking as I was back then, my positive reaction to the twins prank made me a lousy and boring target, so they never bothered me again." Vicki explained.

The twins only sent an innocent shrug to the rest of the group before the topic was changed. Gilbert Wimple passed by their tent and Arthur Weasley explained to everyone (mostly Harry, Hermione and now Vicki) about how he was on the Committee of Experimental Charms.

Fred kept his eye on Vicki the whole time but tried to not make it obvious, finding an almost rare blush creep up on his face which he managed to quickly stop when Vicki caught him watching her and sent him a wink.

Victoria Hartwell was on Fred Weasley's radar a long time before she was on anyone else's. She definitely wasn't a romantic interest back then, but he respected her jovial reaction to one of their first Hogwarts pranks. Of course the romantic interest came to Fred by the time she was on everyone else's radar, after she got together with Roger, just before she began to rule the school.

He could pinpoint the exact moment she went from being the nice girl in his year who he knew could take a joke, into developing a huge crush on her. It was the end of the previous summer on board the Hogwarts Express. George, Lee Jordan and himself were hanging around the Prefects carriage with the plan of setting off dungbombs to greet Hogwarts new student leaders. The first to step out was Victoria, but it wasn't the Victoria Hartwell he had remembered from the previous year. Her oily hair which was usually pinned back was sleek and shiny sprawling halfway down her back. She had used make-up to highlight her facial features, her uniform had also been altered to show her figure rather than hide it and make her frumpy, and most importantly her confidence had changed. She usually had a neutral facial expression, but she had a huge smile on her face and was glowing. It was known for Vicki to self-bash her "before" self before her self-makeover, but not many people honestly seemed to remember Vicki before she was popular, but Fred did.

George and Lee were so shocked at Vicki's change in appearance themselves they paused to stare, forgetting their mission of throwing dungbombs at the new Prefects. Vicki passed them safely but by the time Roger emerged from the carriage he was hit with the brunt of the dungbombs. It was only until later on when they got to the castle that Fred saw Vicki and Roger snogging that he realised they were a couple, and found himself glad it was Roger that was hit with the brunt of the dungbombs.

For the rest of the year he mostly watched her from a distance, but he watched her often. Gryffindor had Potions, Transfiguration and History of Magic with the Ravenclaws in fifth year. She surprisingly always seemed so busy and interested in History of Magic and was always furiously taking notes, which was fine by him as the class was so boring he always found his eyes wandering onto her. They were also assigned to work together once in Potions when Snape switched George and Roger as punishment for a prank the twins pulled involving a false cauldron bottom and a bitchy Ravenclaw girl who at breakfast that day screeched loudly that Fred and George were "unfunny troublemakers". Fred enjoyed having Vicki as his potions partner, she did most of the work whilst he said a few funny things that made her smile. By the next lesson he had his twin back and Vicki was with her boyfriend again.

They barely had any interactions until right this moment. She respected him enough to give him a smile when they passed each other, but that was it. She had no idea of his big crush on her, and how much she entered his thoughts, more than she should for a girl with a boyfriend and who he barely spoke to.

"Would you fancy some eggs and sausages, Victoria?" Arthur asked Vicki, as the fire started cackling and he threw some food on the fire.

Vicki was about to politely decline, but then she saw a few more figures approaching: Bill, Charlie and Percy Weasley. She knew it was time to be leaving. She never really spoke with Bill and Charlie during their time at Hogwarts as they were much older than her, but she did not fancy getting stuck into conversation with Percy.

"Why hello Miss Hartwell, it's lovely seeing you again. Davies not around then? You ought to not let boys distract you now, your sixth year is your last chance to prove yourself to be a Head Boy or Girl, trust me on this." Percy said, taking a seat and squeezing next to Vicki.

"Hello Percy," Vicki said, putting on a sickly fake voice that only Fred noticed as she stood up "What a shame, I need to go. Nice seeing you again though, hope you're well."

Vicki was about to back off and was about to bid farewell to all of the Weasley's when she was cut off before she could even say bye.

"Aha!" cried Mr Weasley "The man of the moment! Ludo!"

Vicki smirked as Ludo Bagman approached them. Something her and father always liked to watch unfold was ex-Quiddich players getting fat after their sports career ended. Ludo seemed like a good example of this, his physique was definitely a lot more round than Vicki remembered from when she was a kid.

Ludo Bagman and Arthur exchanged pleasantries and Percy rushed over with his hand outstretched. Bagman however ignored Percy, taking a few steps forward as his eyes landed on the girl who had just vacated her seat and was about to leave.

"And what's your name missy?" Bagman asked Vicki exclusively.

"Um…Victoria. I was just leaving though. Nice meeting the ones I haven't met, the ones I have, see you all soon." Vicki muttered as she turned around to leave, but Bagman grabbed her wrist preventing her from leaving.

"Where are you sitting to watch the cup?" Bagman asked her curiously.

Vicki raised an eyebrow. Surely this retired sportsman wasn't flirting with her? If she were at school and it was a fellow student she would have no doubt it was a guy trying to win her affections. But considering it was a D-grade celebrity twice her age she wasn't sure what he was playing at, maybe it was just him being a boisterous man. She decided the best course of action was to just be polite and go with it.

"Um…well…I got pretty good seats," Vicki mumbled, feeling uncomfortable with the whole situation and quickly added on "with my boyfriend."

"I see. Well if you're unhappy with your seats, or your boyfriend, come to the Top Box and ask for me. I'll give you the best seat in the house." Ludo winked at Vicki.

"Thanks." Victoria said meekly, before giving a wave to everyone else and wandering off.

Fred's eyes bore into the back of Vicki's figure walking away. He had to look at her, or else he'd be shooting daggers at Bagman, even though he knew he had no real reason to. Vicki was not his to defend. But he had not seen Vicki that meek or unconfident since before she existed to the Hogwarts student body. He knew that was no longer her. He didn't like it.

It wasn't even only Fred who noticed Bagman's advances on Vicki. George nudged Fred's side as soon as Vicki's back was turned. George noticed it too.


	3. Chapter 3

**So I almost feel dirty writing about a pretty and popular OC. Usually in my stories I have relatable and normal girls, so writing about one that has popularity (especially in Harry Potter fanfiction which is riddled with the worst Mary Sues on the internet) feels wrong. I just want to point out that I do have a master plan and as time goes on Vicki will become less shallow and mellow out - that's part of the story, promise!**

* * *

Roger's reaction to the Veela didn't bother Vicki in the slightest. Whilst nearly all of the males were enchanted every time the Veela's were dancing (with many other men in the crowd stealing glances at them even when they weren't dancing), Vicki was also fascinated by their beauty. She had enough self-confidence about herself, she could appreciate other women's good looks without getting jealous.

"They're hot." She said as she leaned over to Roger, both of them not taking their eyes off the Veela.

She also didn't mind that he ignored her throughout the match, only taking his eyes off the match every now and again to watch the Veela dance. She was on the same page, she had spent some of the match admiring the Veela, watching the quick paced game in front of her and had also managed to throw in some quick perves at Aidan Lynch, the Ireland Quiddich Captain.

"What can I say, I have a thing for hot Quiddich captains. Sue me." Vicki joked when Roger caught her one time, he only chuckled and kissed his girlfriend's head.

Vicki and Roger had a very strong and highly sexualised relationship. They were both open with their friends about what they got up to and had a very open "you can look but not touch" policy when it came to other people.

However Vicki did mind when Roger breached this policy. A group of girls a similar age to them both brashly beckoned Roger over to where they were seated. They didn't even mind that he was with Vicki, in fact she could see in their cheeky grins, Roger was a challenge to them. They wanted to see if they could get the handsome boy to abandon his pretty girlfriend to spend time with them.

Upon hearing the gasps of the crowd Vicki turned towards the game just in time to catch Krum's Wronski Feint. Her attention was on the game a little longer for her to make sure her beloved Aidan Lynch would recover from hitting the ground so hard.

When she looked up after Lynch mounted his broom and kicked off, she saw the group of girls giggling overdramatically at something Roger was telling them. One of the girls was brushing her hands through his sandy hair, whilst another one was touching the front of his shirt.

Vicki sent them a look of disgust (which was not noticed by Roger or the girls as they were too busy flirting) and got off her seat and stormed off.

The thought of charming another man in front of Roger crossed her mind, for a split second. She was wearing a green halter dress with a pleated hem, make-up that had been applied very carefully and her usual slick and shiny hair had been curled into loose ringlets. She knew she was in a position to easily find some poor schmuck to throw herself onto in front of Roger but she held herself back.

The Ravenclaw inside her told her it wasn't a logical thing to do. What would a few seconds of satisfaction lead to? Nothing. She will have done exactly what she was mad about and would lose all power in the situation.

The good inside her also told her not to do this. It wasn't right to mess with someone else's feelings. She was also better than this. She didn't need to act like a bad girlfriend to get even with him.

Instead she retreated to the main bar. If there were a muggle sporting event attended by hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of people, there would be thousands of bars to accommodate the thousands of patrons. Wizarding culture was different. In the magic world there was still a large drinking culture, perhaps even more so than in the muggle world as Butterbeer (which had a very small alcoholic percentage but there was still alcohol present) was served to children on a regular basis. But this drinking culture did not extend to sporting events, the two were mutually exclusive. It was common for muggles to quickly down cold beers as they watched their favourite football teams kick a football around a field. It was not usual for magic folk to enjoy a cold frothie as the quaffle was passed around the pitch.

Therefore there was only one bar in the entire stadium. To be fair it was very large to house the people from the large crowd who may want to drink, and the bar was quite packed with the people from the crowd who did want to drink.

Due to the sheer amount of people, it was impossible for the bar tender to focus too much on Vicki, and how her dress and make-up made her appear a lot older than sixteen, she managed to easily acquire a glass of Firewhiskey.

From there it seemed like the rest of the match went by very quickly. She kept one eye on the game and another on the social scene in the bar. She mingled with a few groups but ended up finding a group of American witches in their twenties who convinced her to do a few shots with them.

After Krum caught the snitch they bid farewell to Vicki as one of the witches had too much to drink and was shooed out by the bar tender who was shooting red sparks at the group. This was unfortunately directed at Vicki too, as the bar tender said held up his wand and stared down at Vicki as if daring her to stay, but then a familiar voice spoke up, familiar as it had been the voice booming through the stadium throughout the whole match.

"Whoa, steady there. I can vouch for this girl. In fact, I wish to buy her a drink. What's your poison?" Ludo Bagman appeared, addressing the bar tender but then turning to Vicki.

"I…I dunno! I've had a bit of everything tonight. I started on Butterbeer but I've progressed to doing shots of the strongest stuff I can get my hands on!" Vicki exclaimed in an excited manner, grinning wildly as she was now a little drunk.

"Two firewhiskeys my good man." Ludo grinned cheesily at the bar tender as he put an arm around the much younger girl. She raised an eyebrow questionably at him. She couldn't tell whether he was drunk on alcohol, or drunk on the excitement of the post-game energy.

The barman shot Bagman a look before preparing the drinks. Even though the barman thought Vicki was old enough to drink, he still obviously thought she was too young for Bagman. Vicki on the other hand was just trying to pretend Bagman wasn't courting her and was just being friendly. She didn't want to return to Roger just yet. A big fight was brewing between them, right now was the calm before the storm and she wanted to enjoy the quiet bliss for as long as possible.

"Cheers." Bagman said as he clinked glasses with Vicki, and she sent him a small smile in appreciation of the drink.

Bagman held a sly smile on his face as he put his back to the bar, resting his elbows behind him as he took a long look at the girl to his side. His eyes fell to the figure the dress she was wearing showed off. A figure that was well matured past the sixteen short years she had been on the earth. At the back of his mind he was aware it was a little inappropriate to be eyeing a school girl this way, but when she was dressed like that, it was hard to look away. Besides, he knew he was a retired popular sport star. They were meant to chase after young and pretty girls.

"I'm due back at the minister's box very soon. The teams are coming for a meet and greet. I just nipped out to get a quick drink in preparation." Bagman stated to Vicki.

"Big important man." Vicki sarcastically responded as she saw through exactly what Bagman was trying to do, but decided to smile at the end so she wouldn't look too rude.

"So, where's the boyfriend? If you were mine I'd keep a very short leash on you. I'm sure all the boys drool over you." Bagman mentioned to Vicki.

"Oh, um. Clearly not him. He ran off with some other girls." Vicki awkwardly stated and looked down and nervously played with the hem of her dress, as the gravity of the situation started to hit her. Her long standing boyfriend ran off at the first opportunity he could to flirt with other girls, not even a glance back at her, with no thoughts about her feelings whatsoever. The anger was quickly leaving Vicki's body, it wasn't a very nice thing that Roger had put her through tonight. She was shattered.

"Aww, well he's a bloody fool he is. Why don't you come to the minister's box, you can be my special guest?" Bagman suggested to Vicki.

* * *

Both Fred and George were paying close attention to Ludo Bagman's absence. Fred had suspicions that he may have been trying to skip on coughing up on the bet that he and George had laid down, but George thought Fred was being too paranoid.

"He's not going to leave the minister's box halfway through his duties to avoid paying a few galleons. There's still so much he has to do. He's coming back." George explained to Fred after Bagman gruffly excused himself.

Fred saw George's point and stopped eyeing the entrance as he excitingly discussed the match with Ron and Ginny.

As time began to wear on and both the Bulgarian and Irish teams had entered the box Fred's anxiety began to rise again. He noticed even George started watching the door periodically.

Fred didn't want it to be too obvious he was awaiting Bagman's arrival so he decided to turn his back and get deep into discussions with both George and Harry about the upcoming Quiddich season. There was one topic that could easily get Fred's mind off Bagman.

"Slytherin will rely on whatever bribes Malfoy can get them this year. Hufflepuff have pretty boy Diggory who will try to snatch the snitch before the other teams can score. What do you think Davies will have up his sleeve for Ravenclaw?" George asked curiously, creating an opening for his twin to butt in and finish the conversation as usual, but it was Harry who spoke up before Fred could say something witty.

"Cho Chang? She is a good seeker." Harry quickly suggested, the first thing that came to mind when the Ravenclaw Quiddich team was suggested. Luckily for him no one noticed his eagerness to find any reason to mention the pretty Ravenclaw seeker.

"Davies could use his girlfriend somehow. She's good looking." Ron shallowly butt in.

"Ron!" Hermione snapped loudly.

"What? She is. I'm not being disrespectful to women or anything, I'm just mentioning that she is good looking. It's an observation!" Ron whined loudly.

"No, it's not that. Quieten down, she literally just walked in." Hermione quietly mentioned, looking embarrassed as she nodded her head towards the doorway.

All three boys whipped around to look at the entrance but none faster than Fred. Hermione was right. There stood the glamorous looking Victoria Hartwell in all of her glory standing behind Bagman. Most of the others lost interest straight away and turned back to converse amongst themselves, but Fred's gaze was stuck on her. He had seen her roll up her school uniform skirt and had seen her wear nice clothes on the weekends but he had never seen her dressed up in the way she was tonight. He thought she looked absolutely stunning.

He was also curious. Why was she with Bagman, and where was Davies?

"Alright missy, I need to get back to my duties. You come and find me later, I want to get to know you better." Bagman said to Vicki in a seductive manner and Fred tried to suppress a scoff. To his delight however Vicki looked disgusted as soon as she turned away from him and her eyes scanned the room.

He quickly looked away as he didn't want her to catch him staring at her. He did sneak a few looks at her as he noticed she seemed lost and didn't know where she should sit.

Fred gulped. He was lucky today to be able to converse with her without her boyfriend present. At Hogwarts it was like they were attached at the hip. He didn't know if the opportunity would present itself again and right now he risked her walking out, out of sheer awkwardness. It was time for him to be his usual playful self and swallow down his shyness and nervousness he held due to his crush on her. He had to stop her leaving the box.

"Oi, Hartwell. Over here!" Fred yelled loudly as he turned to Vicki and waved.

He noticed the Malfoy clan sneering and shooting him dirty looks due to his outburst but he couldn't help but grin as she automatically made her way over. Fred was at the end of the bench and gruffly told everyone to scoot down to make room for Vicki.

She graciously popped herself down next to Fred and due to the tight squeeze some of her body parts were resting on his own. He was making a note not to think about it.

"Thanks. I felt like a total loner." Vicki mentioned as a small awkward smile ran across her face.

"Fred, I think our newest addition is a bit intoxicated." George piped up suddenly.

"George, I think you're right. I can smell it on her." Fred smirked back.

"Shh! I don't want to get kicked out or charged or whatever for underage drinking!" Vicki stated in a hushed voice as she nervously eyed Arthur Weasley who was a few seats down in conversation with his two eldest children, who had yet to notice Vicki's arrival.

"So where's Davies?" George asked her curiously and Fred was grateful his twin had asked her that, as he desperately wanted to know, but also had another question he wanted answered as well, which he was now safe to ask.

"And what's the deal with Bagman?"

Vicki blinked at both the twins as she decided in her head which question to answer first.

"Um. Roger went off with some girls and abandoned me, so I went to the bar. Bagman came by and insisted that I come up here with him." Vicki responded to the twins questioning, purposely deciding to give a condensed version as she didn't feel like elaborating on Roger's (most likely) infidelity happening at the current moment, or Bagman's creepy obsession with her.

Although Vicki had answered the two questions that Fred wanted to know, it opened up a lot more that he now wanted to know the answer to. Why would Roger go off with other girls when he had the best one as his girlfriend? What was Vicki going to do about it? How much time did she spend with Bagman alone and was she enjoying his attention?

Instead, he asked the one he knew he wanted an answer to the most.

"So, are you and Davies still together?" Fred blurted out.

He expected Vicki to be taken back by how blunt he was. Instead she was composed and ready with an answer, as she had come to the conclusion she was about to answer a lot earlier.

"I don't know. We have a lot to talk about later I guess. It's going to be a lot for him to talk his way out of, however." Vicki answered and gave a sarcastic kind of smile which made Fred's heart leap. Her and Davies might now be over, and he was finally speaking to his crush properly. He had written Victoria Hartwell off a long time ago so he had only ever watched from a distance. But it was as if the stars had aligned and he now stood a fighting chance.

The thoughts swimming around Vicki's head were very different. She was absolutely shattered at what Roger had done to her tonight and now the booze had stopped flowing her thoughts were creeping back to the serious talk that was now looming. Roger was her first love and now she was a different person she didn't know how to function without him. She also now felt pathetic for feeling that way, she knew no respectful Ravenclaw girl should place such importance on a boyfriend. But she was a teen girl in love. Like many other girls her age she had made her boyfriend the centre of her world and now it was tumbling down.

"Well, you can sit with us until the end of the celebrations. You're going to soon watch Bagman cough up money to us that he owes, that should give you some entertainment." George responded, as he was much more neutral to the situation than his twin, and was genuinely wanting to make the girl feel better with no underlying motives.

Vicki smiled as she thanked him. She appreciated how the twins had taken her under their wing tonight. Although she was never the butt of their jokes she had seen some of the pranks they had pulled on people throughout the years as she got entertainment out of it. Some of them had been a little cruel, so she was surprised they were being so nice to her, an outsider they didn't really know.

She definitely appreciated it however, and happily launched into conversations about the match that had just wrapped up. She wanted to repay their kindness by making sure she didn't dampen the mood.


	4. Chapter 4

**Huge thanks to brooklynhale for the very first review to this story! Thank you! I picked up my laptop straight away and had to write this straight away.**

* * *

It finally became a time where Arthur had to call it a night and tell his children it was time to head off back to their tent. Bill and Charlie had already left not too long ago, as they wanted to kick on and party with the Irish. Percy declined to join them as he muttered something about "partying is pointless" and he didn't want to leave the minister's box as he didn't want to miss out on networking opportunities.

The remaining children who were not of age and couldn't make the decision to stay started whining when Arthur gave them a ten minute warning.

"But Dad!" Ginny whined loudly "It was anticipated that this game would last at least 12 hours. We'd still be here if that were the case"

"You make a fair point Ginny," Arthur mused, but then a grin appeared and disappeared from his face instantly "But if your mother found out I let you stay out late post-match, well, she'd have my head!"

Arthur got up and began to do his rounds of saying goodbye to those he was friendly with who were still in the box. Some of the spectators had already left, but quite a few still remained. He was glad that awful Malfoy family had headed off a while ago, he was confident that their family patriarch Lucius was drunk. Arthur thought that was irresponsible for him to get into that state on a family outing, in front of his son.

Noticing that the Weasley family was soon departing, Bagman (who had been keeping an eye on them the whole time since the match started) went bounding over to Arthur.

"Oh Arthur. Thanks for coming, thanks for coming," he repeated enthusiastically as a wide smile appeared across his boyish face "it's been an absolute blast. Did you enjoy yourselves?

Arthur took a look back at his family and saw them all chatting amongst themselves as they had been doing all night.

"Yes, we all did. Thanks for putting on a great show. However now we best be off." Arthur responded.

"Oh, well alright," Bagman said, but then quickly revealed his true motives of coming over to say goodbye "That girl that joined you that goes to your kids' school – Vicki. You can leave her with me if you like. I don't mind taking care of her, I should be able to use my networks to find her boyfriend."

Arthur stared at Bagman for a few seconds. For a reason unknown to Bagman, Arthur would decline his request. Bagman wasn't sure whether it was due to the fact Arthur saw right through his intentions or whether Arthur was just being polite. But Arthur ended up saying he could send one of his sons to help Vicki get back to her tent safely.

Trying to not look dejected Bagman shook Arthur's hand, before quickly making his way over to the Weasley family whilst Arthur was still preoccupied with politely doing his goodbye rounds.

The twins who had grown increasingly anxious about retrieving their winnings from Bagman weren't surprised as he strode over to them. Even Fred, who was spending his whole night counting his blessings that the girl he was infatuated with had chosen their company, had kept one eye on Vicki and the other one on Bagman, waiting for him to pay up.

"Ah…yes, yes. How much do I owe you?" Bagman asked the two, not even bothering to greet them again as he went straight to business.

They each jumped up from their seat (Fred patting Vicki on the shoulder as he stood up) and faced Bagman grinning, with their hands outstretched. Vicki kept an eye on the transaction as she watched Bagman place half of their winnings each into the twins hands, who quickly shoved the gold into their pockets before any outsiders could see exactly the illegal underage gambling transaction.

"If you both want to go plan what to do with this small fortune you've just acquired…I can take Vicki off your hands? I can help her find her boyfriend…" Bagman suggested, throwing up his hands in a question gesture.

Fred almost instinctively took a step to where Vicki was seated and protectively laid his hand on her shoulder. He was a little surprised but glad when he saw his twin brother do the exact same thing. Vicki was accounted for.

It was Vicki who spoke up. She had watched Bagman speak for her for half the night and she was growing tired of it. She had tried to deny in her mind that he was trying to have a pass at her. After all he was a much older respected member of the community, she thought it would be conceited for her to assume he wasn't being friendly, but flirting with someone so young. But it had gotten past a point now where she felt arrogant for assuming he was trying with her. He had been following her around all night, and no one else, and had been going out of his way to be in her company.

"I think I'm in capable hands, thanks. Besides, if I can't find Roger I can stay in their tent, at least I wouldn't be alone." Vicki brashly stated, trying to conceal her annoyance but not being able to hide it from coming out in a cool tone.

Bagman on the other hand was grinning. He wasn't aware that Vicki meant nothing by her comment about staying in the Weasley tent, but he saw it was an opportunity to perhaps get the younger girl to spend the time with him instead.

Fred's eyes narrowed at Bagman. He was watching the exchange intently and wasn't happy with where it was going. George could feel his twin's negative energy and began to feed on it himself. That was a common occurrence, Fred would brew darkly on these things, and George would back him up and let it grow.

"I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but she's quite drunk-" George piped up suddenly, and let his brother finish what he was trying to imply.

"-but please, be our guest. Spend lots of time with a drunk underage school girl in front of all of these people, and don't forget the journalists. Take her back to wherever you're staying. It's your funeral." Fred finished as he tried to stay casual, but by the end of his statement his protective grip on Vicki's shoulder was so tight she was wincing, and he had inched closer to Bagman, almost in a threatening manner, and was glowering in his direction.

Bagman switched his gaze from looking between each twin, to Vicki who was mysteriously silent. He found her very attractive and was hopefully looking to spending some alone time with her, but he wasn't willing to risk everything he had purely for a pretty face. He had come close to losing his freedom before, and Victoria Hartwell was not a good enough reason to face anything like that again.

"Well I can see she's in perfectly capable hands, so I'll bid you all farewell. There's over a dozen well reputable parties out there for me tonight." Bagman grinned as he stayed completely jovial, not rivalling the twin's cold demeanour one bit.

Both the twins and Vicki rigidly said goodbye to Bagman. George lightened up now he had his gold and due to Vicki being safe, but Fred wouldn't drop his growl.

"Alright kids, we're off for real this time. Fred, George, you're to take Vicki back to her tent and come STRAIGHT back to ours." Arthur said as he came over and put his arms around both of his sons, walking them towards the exit and sounding strict with great difficulty.

"What happens if Davies isn't there, do we then get to stay out?" George asked, and he was only half-joking.

"Then you bring her straight back to us. She can stay in Ginny and Hermione's tent." Arthur responded.

Being such a large stadium designed to hold hundreds of thousands of Quiddich fans, it took a while to reach the bottom. Luckily for Vicki and the Weasley family not too many people were leaving at this time: those who were leaving early had already done so and those who remained were staying put to party the night away.

The twins and Vicki had a head start from the rest of the family and maintained it as they quickly ran down the stairs, the rest of the family behind them lagging as they kept slow to stay together. The twins on the other hand wanted to be as quick as possible. If they could get outside the pitch quickly, they'd have more time out of their 'appropriate time to get Vicki back to her tent' time limit to enjoy.

It's not that they wanted to dispose of Vicki too quickly, that wasn't the plan at all. In fact, both of them had enjoyed Vicki's company immensely this evening. George, who had always felt fairly neutral towards the Hogwarts "it" girl finding himself too immersed in his pranks to care about Hogwarts politics. But after five years at school he met her properly tonight, and he liked her contributions to conversations they had.

Fred on the other hand, he was completely blown away by Vicki. As much as he had liked her before tonight he always knew it was very superficial. Besides their little run-in during first year, he knew nothing about it besides the fact he found her insanely pretty. For all her knew (and it should have been probable considering she was well known and popular) she would be a prissy princess with the personality of a wet blanket.

In reality she was the total opposite. She laughed a lot at every joke they made, even the inappropriate one about women and house elves when everyone around scowled at Fred for saying it. Not only did she laugh at his jokes, she contributed a few of her own as she started to sober up – namely mean comments about fellow Hogwarts students he found they had a mutual dislike of.

Now both Fred and Vicki were completely sober. Vicki was sober from the shots the American witches forced upon her and Fred's thoughts were sobered in that he knew Vicki was the full package: beautiful and his dream girl. Davies was still in the way for now, but that had the possibility of changing very soon.

As they chatted on their walk through the camp site Vicki began to grow increasingly nervous the closer they got to the tent. She had been pushing the hurt of Roger's actions to the back of her mind but it was now rushing through her mind and the unfavourable emotions were hitting her hard. She didn't know how she was going to approach Roger, should she be calm and be ready to work things out peacefully? Should she be angry and sever all ties with him instantly? Or should she go straight to bed so she could cry herself to sleep and work it all out with him tomorrow when they were more level headed?

She also had the burden of having to hide this all from the twins, as they were happily telling Vicki all about their new line of products they had been developing over the summer. The last thing that needed to happen was Vicki's insecurities rising and causing the mood to dampen.

"We're planning to start selling to Hogwarts students soon, maybe do a mail service." Fred explained.

"Then we can build some capital, have a bit of spending money for when we finish Hogwarts next school year." George added on.

Vicki was able to eventually lead the twins to her tent. It took some time, as there were hundreds of thousands of tents it took her a while to work out the correct directions to take, and they also kept bumping into people they knew from school. All of them being popular in different ways meant the pool of people who went out of their way to greet them was a lot higher.

Vicki's heart sank as the tent looked dark and unoccupied from the outside.

"He could have gone to bed?" George suggested as he felt Vicki's disappointment.

Vicki gave a sad smile and shook her head. She wasn't sure why she felt so confident he would be in there. He could be almost anywhere nearby, with absolutely anybody. There were thousands of girls in the campsite and surrounding areas who were much prettier than her, wanting to enjoy Roger's company. Pretty girls were a pence (or knut, in the magic world) a dozen, but handsome yet interesting boys like Roger don't appear too often. Besides, she'd still be in the Minister's box celebrating if Mr Weasley didn't shuffle the kids back to the tent, so why would Roger freely leave a party to return to the tent also?

Fred stayed silent as he studied Vicki's mood change. He was unaware that she had been faking positive energy since they left the stadium but now she was visibly upset he began to feel a little guilty. His master plan all night was for Vicki to be angry at Davies and break up with him. Then he would swoop in and get closer to her over the next couple of weeks, and then not too long after they went back to Hogwarts he would sweep her off her feet and convince her to go out with him.

Seeing Vicki cut-up over Roger's lack of return straightened him up a little. She was hurting, and not only was his plan likely to fail, he now realised it was wrong of him to make plans and use this to his advantage. He had no intentions of going back to admiring her from a distance and never talking to her, how could he? He had come so far tonight and actually really enjoyed her company. But he had to put his feelings for her on hold and let the chips fall. She had to run her course with Davies before he even had a shot at winning her affections.

Vicki let out a deep breath as she mentally prepared herself to enter. She decided to ignore George's suggestion that he 'may be sleeping' as she knew it was very unlikely this would be the case. She knew she had to expect to walk in and find the tent cold and empty and abandon her hope before she walked in. She finally stepped in through the flaps and felt no emotion as she flicked on a light switch (which Roger's father installed before they left London as they still couldn't use magic outside school) and found the tent deserted, except for herself and the two twins who followed her in.

She winced as she spun around to face them, expecting them to show looks of sympathy which sure enough, was etched on their faces.

"Well, thanks for walking me back here. I'll be alright. If Roger doesn't come back by tomorrow I'll just grab the portkey without him, and let him find his own way back home." Vicki softly smiled, but the two twins wouldn't have a bar of it.

"We are NOT leaving you here alone." George snapped at her.

"You heard our dear old father. If you weren't able to find Roger you were to stay in Hermione and Ginny's tent." Fred added on.

Vicki let out a loud snort at their comments, and crossed her arms in annoyance in retaliation. She may not have personally known the twins very well, but she knew blindly listening to an authority figure (in this instance their own parent) when there was a chance of getting away with something was not something they did on a regular basis.

"Sell outs." Vicki hissed, but shot them a small smile to show she was (mostly) joking.

"Sorry love, but safety first, even before a life of pranks." George responded to Vicki's insult mockingly.

"We couldn't possibly be able to live with ourselves if we left a beautiful girl by herself in a camp full of drunk men. The Irish may be celebrating but they're not the only ones on the drink tonight. Bulgarians are drinking away their sorrows. Therefore we're taking you with us." Fred added on.

Vicki raised her eyebrows at Fred's comment but then walked away speechless with a small bag as she started packing the things she'd need overnight. Fred on the other hand was horrified that he'd let slip the word 'beautiful' to describe Vicki. "Good looking" or "pretty" would be truthful but inconspicuous. "Beautiful" was a whole different ballpark.

He muttered something about 'giving her some privacy' and then scampered to outside the tent, to wait for her outside.


	5. Chapter 5

When Victoria first heard noises over the sound of the Irish celebrating, she thought nothing of it. Loud noises were to be expected at the biggest party the Irish would ever hold. Even as the noises grew over the party goers Vicki did her best to drown out with her pillow in an attempt to sleep.

When the twins left her to quickly prepare for a night with the Weasleys she had only pulled on a black tank top and a pair of the muggle brand "Adidas" trackpants. It was still summer but as it was the tail-end the nights were getting a little cooler she thought it was best to wear at least one piece of clothing that was warmer. She also thought it would be inappropriate to wear a skimpy pair of pyjama shorts in unfamiliar company.

Fred was relieved but slightly disappointed when he saw her emerge in modest looking pants. She was well known at Hogwarts for rolling up her school skirt at the top to create a shorter hemline. A few of the girls in his year level did this, but Vicki was the only one who really ever got away with it as she was the Ravenclaw prefect. As he stared at her a lot, it was something he had noticed about her. He realised this was perhaps the first time he had seen her in pants.

It was hard for Vicki to fall asleep once she had settled into the girl's tent. Although she had been given lots of space and it was only Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley in her tent, it was still hard for her to sleep. The alcohol had long since stopped affecting her but as it was now working itself out of her system, she felt pretty awful. Her mind was also working on overdrive about Roger. She was trying really hard not to think about him, but this proved difficult for her. She kept wondering what he was doing at that moment. Where he was, who he was with, who's lips were on his, who he was currently, well, you know.

It was when the Irish went silent that Vicki knew something was not right. Irish were known for being loud and drunk at all major events, so when they go silent after winning the World Cup, it meant something serious. She got up from the bed she was borrowing for the night and left the tent and looked into the open area. It took her a few moments to see what was going on over the smoke of recently extinguished fires and people scampering back into their tents but then she saw them. The group of men in hooded cloaks marching in a straight line across the field with their wands in front of them, casting many destructive spells upon anything within spell-casting distance.

Adrenaline began to run through Vicki's veins as she let the 'fight or flight' human instinct take over. Her mind decided to put the 'flight' into action and she took no time to be a deer in headlights. She stuck her head into the girl's tent and screamed at Ginny and Hermione to wake up and get up. She didn't bother to enforce her barking instructions as she decided her time was best to go to Arthur, warn them and seek help.

She stepped into the tent without hesitation. She was in here a few hours before very briefly before she retired to the other tent so she knew the basic layout. As she ran through the tent she was stopped abruptly by a hand reaching out and grabbing her thigh.

"'s going on?" She heard a slightly groggy voice ask, and she noticed the set of twins were both on the two couches in front of her, everyone else soundly asleep on the beds in the tent.

Vicki took a few moments to quickly study his face in the moonlight (and unfortunately, the fire in the distance was offering some light source as well) before she spoke up.

"Fred, well I think you're Fred, anyway-" Vicki tried to explain but she was cut off.

"You would be right." Fred grinned. He could see she was visibly upset about something so he didn't want to play the old switch-a-roo favourite, and he was also excited that she had been able to tell the difference between him and his twin. Although it was most likely a stab in the dark guess, it was his crush who managed to guess right. This made him happy.

"I-um…well…come with me. It's hard to describe this sort of terror." Vicki stammered as the adrenaline began to leave her body at the human interaction. Now she felt like a deer in headlights as panic began to set in as she grabbed Fred's hand and hoisted him up as they both rushed outside the tent.

Any joy Fred may have felt by the intimate skin on skin contact with the girl he yearned for instantly disappeared by the sight in front of him. He saw the terror reigning over the camp which was now considerably closer than when Vicki first saw it a few moments ago. Fred's brain kick-started as he grabbed Vicki's shoulders in a reassuring way. This calmed Vicki a little as her brain was back in motion as well. She decided it was best to delegate a plan.

"Fred, you wake up your father straight away and let him know what's going on. Help get everyone in your tent up. I'll go make sure Hermione and Ginny are up and we'll meet outside the two tents and go from there." Vicki quickly stated.

Without a response Fred turned around and quickly ducked straight back into the men's tent. Vicki did the same with the ladies' tent and saw that while Hermione was slowly rising, Ginny was still soundly asleep.

"What's happening?" Hermione asked, pulling a coat over her night dress.

"We need to get Ginny up and get out of here. There's an attack happening outside." Vicki responded quickly, and without warning Ginny sprung out of her bed and also pulled a coat on as well.

"Leave everything, but make sure you have your wand. Then get outside." Vicki dictated, feeling the bulge in her track pants of her wand and she bounded outside the tent.

By now many people were now awake and running away from the campsite towards the forest to safety, and screams throughout the camp were just as loud as the destructive behaviour of the terrorisers. Harry Potter and the youngest son of the Weasley clan, Ron, joined Vicki. No conversation was made as the two young teenagers were spectating what was going on, as Vicki anxiously eyed both tents. Soon after, Hermione and Ginny exited the girls' tent and joined the group.

Seconds later the rest of the Weasley family emerged from the tent. The two twins were still in pyjama pants and loose t-shirts but Arthur, Bill, Charlie and Percy were completely dressed with their wands out, and it was made obvious to Vicki that they were going to assist the ministry wizards with stopping these attackers.

"C'mon," Fred lead as he grabbed Ginny's hand and began to pull her towards the forest. Everyone followed his lead and followed the two.

Although the noises around them were almost deafening through the screams, shouts, explosions, fire cackling and many other sounds, the group were running silently and no conversations were to be had. They ran for a while, Fred and Ginny hand-in-hand at the front, with the others trailing behind them.

It was only when Ginny nearly collapsed whilst complaining of a stitch that they all stopped and realised that three of them were now missing.

"Where's Ron, Hermione and Harry?" Ginny asked almost tearfully as she recovered from her stitch.

"I'm not sure. Hopefully they're okay." Fred responded trying to sound confident but it was clear in his voice that he was worried about the trio.

Ginny let out a loud sob, as both George and Vicki glared at Fred for his non-sensitive delivery of the fact that half of their group was now missing.

"I'm sure they're fine." George chimed in, in an attempt to be cheerful, but Vicki saw through it straight away. Ginny remained sceptical, asking how George was sure.

"Well there's three of them, and four of us. Harry is a Quiddich player so he's really active and would be a fast runner. The evidence is there, there's no reason for them to have dropped behind us. So because they're not here with us, they would be in front." Vicki explained quickly.

This brightened Ginny's spirits as she picked herself up and grabbed Fred's hand again. She however then turned and addressed Vicki.

"What do we do from here?" She asked.

"What do you guys think?" Vicki deflected, being caught off-guard as she wasn't expecting to be suddenly be made the de-facto leader and have to make snappy plans.

"You're the Ravenclaw, you're supposed to be smart. Plus, I think you're very quick witted." Fred quickly agreed, and Vicki could tell he was referring to the small fib she had just told Ginny to calm her down.

Vicki went silent as she looked around. The crowds were still heavy as thousands upon thousands of people were screaming as they ran forward as fast as they could. Vicki looked behind them. Although they were now quite far away from the ruckus she could still hear some of it, plus there was still a sea of people behind them.

"These sorry excuses for wizards were marching in a straight line, right? They're also following the crowd to show off their power. So the best thing to do for us is to move sideways, rather than forward. If we run to the side we will be out of their direct path. We can then wait a while and then make our way back to the camp." Vicki mused.

Fred, George and Ginny were silent for a few moments as they thought about what Vicki was preparing. Vicki expected someone to pipe up and disagree with her risky plan of adventuring into the unknown, but instead she was met with a pat on the back from both of the twins.

"I'll lead the way. Ginny, you grab onto my hand. Vicki, you can grab onto Ginny's and then George can grab onto yours. We don't want to lose any other members of our group. It's also going to be difficult to move to the side when so many are trying to push forward." Fred proposed.

Later on in hindsight he would regret not manipulating his plan to have Vicki hold his hand instead. Not only would he gave gotten more of that skin-on-skin contact he would begin to crave later on as he replayed the moment in his head constantly of when Vicki grabbed his hand to show the chaos, but he would also realise he lost an opportunity to play the part of the big strong male, bringing her to safety.

But in the moment of disorder his instinct was to protect his sister first, and Vicki second, even though he did not realise he was doing this by making sure he would be the one to lead Ginny to safety.

This however wasn't lost on the clever Vicki, who smiled at Fred as he carefully manoeuvred the four of them through the crowds of people trying to run through them, as they were trying to move to the side rather than moving forwards. Vicki thought it was very noble he was being protective over his little sister, and if Fred Weasley wanted to impress Victoria Hartwell, he couldn't have chosen a better way.


	6. Chapter 6

**A million thank yous to two people: Number one: NessieBooEvans who pointed out the formatting of this chapter came out un-decipherable. Should be fixed now? and the second person: my fiance. Halfway through our plans I read the review about this chapter coming out in an incorrect format and he let me drop everything to go fix it. Thank you!**

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It was when in the distance that the group could hear people returning to camp when they realised it was safe to head back. Vicki couldn't tell how long they'd been there as she didn't have access to anything that measured time, but she was guessing it was somewhere around an hour.

Both she and the twins had been busy preoccupying Ginny by making as much conversation as they could. If they could be engaged in conversation there would be no time to think and worry about the current events, or about their friends and family's safety.

It made Fred smile about how good Vicki was with Ginny. She seemed to know exactly what to say to calm the young girl down. He even overheard Vicki make plans to spend time with Ginny in the upcoming school year.

"I mean it, too. This can't be one of those things we say we do, but then end up never doing. You're entering third year aren't you? Maybe we can catch up on a Hogsmeade weekend and do something, maybe go shopping?"

This made Ginny forget all about the current events. She felt that her entire time at Hogwarts had been spent in obscurity. She was well known as the youngest and only female Weasley who always had older brothers watching her closely. She was a "dork" that no one took seriously. In her mind she used to sometimes imagine what it would be like to be friends with the popular girls like Vicki. If she were also pretty and popular perhaps people would take her seriously, and now it was coming true.

Although they were all chatty whilst waiting for the green light to head back to camp, silence fell amongst them again as they started to make the trek back to their tent. As they didn't have to run this time it was a much gentler walk but now it was time for their minds to wander now they didn't have any distractions. Was everyone going to be fine? Who were the masked people and why were they doing what they did? Would this impact the future?

Every now and again they did stumble across people they knew, but unlike before and just after the game, no one stopped to talk. There were small murmurs from surrounding people, but it was a very sombre mood as the crowd returning did not know what to expect.

It wasn't until the camp came into view that someone actually called out to their group.

"Vicki!" A person yelled, and they all spun around and a person sprinting came into view as he grabbed Vicki by her shoulders "Vicki! Thank Merlin you're okay! I've been so worried!"

"Could have fooled us, Davies." Fred piped up coolly, as he jumped between Roger and Vicki as a protective barrier between the two.

"If you've been so worried – why didn't you reappear before all of this went down?" George asked, mimicking his twin's tone, as well as his action of stepping in as a barrier.

Both of them crossed their arms as they faced Roger and waited for an explanation where he would stammer out something pathetic to try and defend himself. But Roger seemed incapable of speech, only letting out small squeaks in response, as he tried to articulate an excuse but even he couldn't find anything to say, there was no way to reword his actions tonight to not look bad.

Every person in the present company were shocked when it was Ginny who piped up, and it was to defend Vicki.

"Probably best you didn't. Vicki wouldn't have had the chance to flirt with Aidan Lynch."

Vicki looked at Ginny in shock. What she said was a total lie. Aidan had not even glanced at her once in the minister's box, let alone take the time to speak with her. Ginny was fibbing in order to let Vicki "win" the non-existent war between Vicki and Roger on whom could flirt with someone else. Vicki was flattered the younger girl was willing to jump in and help, but this is what she was trying to avoid the second Roger walked away from her. She made the decision not to throw herself onto a stranger to spite Roger, but it now appeared that she did.

"L-Lynch did not flirt with me!" Vicki protested, after she got over her initial shock.

"Sure looked like it from where I was standing." Fred sniggered, getting involved in his little sister's game.

Roger looked between Vicki, Ginny, Fred and George. He was absolutely furious. Quiddich was his thing. He was the Ravenclaw Quiddich team captain, a position he held with pride. His girlfriend had one upped him by finding something better, a professional national captain. He was feeling guilty for what he had done to Vicki but that guilt melted away and instead he felt justified. He just had to carefully work out how to gloat in front of three other people. Not being able to find a way, he just outwardly said it.

"Well, seems like we had a good night. Some really hot girls let me eat Bertie Botts Beans off many, many different parts of their body." Roger winked, and then bit his teeth really hard as an added effect.

Fred kept his eyes on Vicki at this revelation. He could see her heart breaking in front of his eyes. Her worst fears were just confirmed and he didn't have to read her mind to see this. He had a vested interest in the two breaking up but before he could even think about this, he jumped in to save Vicki.

"Well that's a shame, Davies. Vicki turned down Lynch as she said she preferred admiring him from a distance. She also threw in she had a boyfriend. So I bet eating vomit flavoured beans off of a woman who's good looks could be wiped off with one make-up removing charm but who's daddy issues will never cease, well I guess it doesn't seem so good now, does it?" Fred snarled at Roger.

Roger shot Fred the dirtiest look he could muster. He opened up his mouth to speak and attempt a witty retort to Fred's statement, but shut it and shook his head, making it apparent he was abandoning what he was going to say.

"You still don't care, do you? You wanted to say you don't regret it, because you're such a handsome stud. Well I pity you. You have the best thing at home, but you'd still rather go out and find rubbish instead." Fred yelled at Roger, refusing to back down.

Vicki should have felt joy that Fred was fighting so vigorously for her, but instead she felt numb. She couldn't believe Roger had done this to her. It may have made sense to her if Roger was drunk, or if they were in the middle of a fight. But there was no animosity between them and he was stone cold sober. He had done this right in front of her and held little remorse. He was only sorry his party was broken up by the terrorisers, and only went back to Vicki now it was over.

"I don't know what your problem is Weasley, but this doesn't concern you. You've never even spoken to Vicki before today, so what you have to say hardly matters. This is between me and my girlfriend and I'd like to speak to her alone." Roger snapped towards Fred.

"My girlfriend and I," George cheekily smirked towards Roger, correcting him "that's how you're supposed to speak without sounding uneducated."

Roger gave a quick glance towards George but chose not to dignify him with a response and instead turned his attention onto Vicki, softly grabbing her hand and forced her to face him.

It was then for the first time she spoke directly to him since he abandoned her at the game.

"Yes, I agree. We do need to talk. However now is not a good time, not after such a crazy night. I'm going to spend the night with the Weasleys and we'll sleep on it and talk tomorrow, alright?" Vicki stated.

Roger huffed and sighed looking dejected. He was hoping it wouldn't be a big deal and they would perhaps fight a little before they could forget about the night and move on. He wasn't used to Vicki having a big array of negative emotions, but he had never done anything to make her upset before.

"Well, okay. I'll meet you in the tent tomorrow morning and we can talk it all out, and then things can go back to normal." Roger responded.

The three Weasley family members stayed silent as they watched Vicki intently. They were all waiting for the quick wit they had witnessed tonight. Instead Vicki was meek in her response.

"Sounds good. Well, we'll be off. Speak tomorrow." Vicki responded, and made her way to walk in a different direction but Roger said something that made her stop in her tracks.

"Vicki, fighting aside, I'm so glad to see you made it out safely tonight."

"I'm really glad you're safe as well." Vicki softly smiled, before she began to trudge on back towards the tent.

The group of them were silent again as they got nearer to the tent. The masked men were long gone but the devastation in their wake was still ripe. There were lots of mangled and damaged tents as far as the eyes could see. Shrapnel debris caused by the spells and curses shot was also littered around the camp. The worst part for the group however, was the howling and crying from the people who had now made it back to their camp.

Ginny let out a whimper upon seeing a family sobbing outside of their tent and Fred put a hand on her shoulder to reassure her.

"These people are crying over possessions and not hurt family members, I wouldn't worry too much about it." Vicki spoke up, for the first time since her run in with Roger.

"I hope you don't forgive him just because of this event. He messed up. An attack doesn't change anything. In fact, he'd only be using this terrible event in his favour if you do." George stated out loud in order to change the subject and distract Ginny, and Fred was grateful.

George had been vocal about Davies' betrayal all night but only after following Fred's opposition to Davies. This was the first time he had spoken up about Davies without being prompted. Fred was glad that George took the opportunity to say what he wanted to say but held himself back in fear of his true intentions showing.

Vicki didn't say anything but sent him a weak smile as they approached the tent. The conversation was over. They were back at the tent now and there were more pressing conversations to be had the second they stepped inside. The eldest three Weasley children had returned to the tent but were in a bad state. Charlie seemed to be the best out of the three as he only seemed to have a ripped shirt, but he was busy tending to Bill, who had a large gash on his arm that was sprouting blood. Percy was paying no attention to his two brothers as he was (badly) trying to stop his blood nose.

Fred, George and Ginny awkwardly stood at the entrance of the tent but Vicki sprang into life. She looked from Bill to Percy a few times and decided it was Bill who's injury was worse and who needed her help, as Charlie's spells seemed to be doing more harm than good.

Vicki grabbed a discarded tea towel from the kitchen area and wetted it before she approached Bill.

"Move." She said to Charlie, who looked at Vicki and scoffed at her orders.

"You're underage, you can't even use magic. I can't see what you'd be able to do that I can't." Charlie sneered at Vicki, however he did move aside and Vicki jumped in to look at Bill's wound.

"What ended up hitting him? Was it a curse, or something else?" Vicki asked, ignoring Charlie's rude tone towards her, as she used the wet tea towel to clean away the gash so she could inspect it further.

"It was broken glass." Percy stated, with great difficulty as he was supporting his bloody nose.

"Well it doesn't look too deep, so it shouldn't need a healing spell to help it close. The only problem is the bleeding isn't stopping. So the good old muggle trick of applying pressure should fix it." Vicki mused. She looked around the tent to find something, and Fred quickly handed her a discarded bedsheet that was on the ground, eager to help.

Vicki scrunched up the bedsheet and pressed it hard to Bill's wound. He winced for a second upon contact, but as the sheet turned crimson he got used to the pressure on the gash.

"Press this on the wound as hard as you can. The bleeding will eventually stop. It's a muggle first aid trick, but it works. Magic or not, we're all part of the human race, right? Our bodies heal the same way." Vicki stated.

"Well played, Hartwell." Charlie teased, backtracking on his previous doubt of Vicki's abilities.

Fred listened intently as Vicki began to talk about her backstory, which was relatively unknown to the Weasley family. Like the two twins were outside Vicki's friendship circle, their parents also ran in different friendship circles.

Max Hartwell also worked in the ministry with Arthur, but in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes department (to which Vicki knew he had his work cut out for him after tonight). He had to liaise with Arthur on a regular basis for work purposes but it was rare that they held any conversations not related to their jobs. Maureen Smith (formerly Hartwell) abandoned the wizarding community after her divorce and found love with a muggle man named Henry, so her dealings with witches and wizards these days were slim. It was due to this that Vicki knew the muggle first aid tricks, as although she were a pureblood, she had been raised in a muggle environment with her mother.

As their parents weren't in the same circle, Fred didn't know much about her family. He was therefore listening intently so he could learn more about her. He was genuinely interested to know, but the more knowledgeable he became on Vicki Hartwell, the more knowledge he had to use to win her affections.

After Vicki spoke about her living arrangements, Bill began to talk about his adventures at Hogwarts, and how in such a short amount of time things had changed at the school. No one mentioned anything about Ron, Harry and Hermione. When they didn't walk in after the two twins, Ginny and Vicki it was made obvious to the older Weasley children that the trio were still missing. It was easier for them all to submerge into anecdotes from their upbringings than it was to be vocal about the fact that there were missing members of their group.

"-but yes, I received quite a lot of great references from many faculty members of Hogwarts, Dumbledore included." Percy boasted loudly, in retort to Vicki telling everyone how hard of a Head Boy he was to be a Prefect under.

Percy went to continue but Charlie shushed him as he heard voices approaching. Percy sulked at his lost opportunity to brag but Charlie did not notice this as he stuck his head outside the tent. After conversing with his father for a moment he came back into the tent with four others following him.

Arthur had returned with Ron, Harry and Hermione. They were all safe.


	7. Chapter 7

Vicki was sure she managed some sleep that night. It was a situation where it felt she lay awake all night, but time was moving too quickly for her to have been awake the whole time and morning ended up coming around. When Vicki could see small rays of sunlight coming through the tent flaps she heaved herself off the bed she was laying in and ventured outside.

It was barely past six and the majority of the campsite was already emptying out. A few tents had now disappeared and even more were in the process of coming down as families were doing their best efforts to scurry away as soon as possible. It made sense to Vicki. Although the danger had long-since passed, many families would be waking up to the news about the World Cup attack. Everyone would be wanting to return back to their families to let them know they were safe. It was also a depressing thing, to have to remain at the camp when such awful things had happened on the very ground they stood on just a few hours prior.

Arthur Weasley was no exception, he came out of the men's tent not too long after Vicki stepped out.

"We'll be heading off very shortly, I was just about to wake you girls. We're going to have breakfast at home, so it's just a matter of getting dressed and packing up." Arthur explained.

"Thanks for letting me stay last night." Vicki stated with a small smile on her face, awkwardly shifting her weight side to side as she felt uncomfortable talking to an adult she didn't know very well.

"You're more than welcome to grab the portkey with us and have breakfast at The Burrow, but I assume you'll want to go back to your family and let them know you're safe." Arthur offered to Vicki.

Vicki mused on it for a second. She was still wanting to avoid Roger and transporting with the Weasleys would be a good way to delay their inevitable talk they would have today. She also knew the Weasley family lived somewhere near Ottery St Catchpole, as she once heard Amos Diggory mention it to her father. Vicki lived in London with her mother, but her father was one of the wizards who lived in the Ottery St Catchpole community. Therefore she could technically go back with the Weasley family and then go visit her father after.

"Thank you for the offer that's very kind, but I should probably go find Roger my boyfriend. He must be quite worried." Vicki responded. It made sense for her to treat this like a Band-Aid and rip it off – she would get the talk with Roger over and done with.

She also knew her father would be at work so it was pointless to hang around his house. Her mother would also soon be waking to the news about the attacks and would be worried sick about Vicki if she didn't return home all day.

Vicki offered to Mr Weasley that she would get the girls up and help pack the smaller tent. She was unable to use her wand as she was still underage but she loosened the tent pegs and Percy came over to do the rest. She was then standing in front of the Weasley family who were all packed up and ready to go.

"Once again thank you for your hospitality Arthur." Vicki politely thanked Mr Weasley.

"You are more than welcome Victoria. I appreciate you assisting my family last night." Arthur stated as he nodded his head towards the twins and Ginny.

"Well I best go find Roger. I'll see most of you at school." Vicki stated as she sent a wave to the family. Just as she went to walk off back into the campsite she heard Fred call out to her.

"Oi Vicki!" Fred yelled and Vicki turned around to await what he had to say "Come and see us on the train in a week. You don't have a near death experience with someone and not become friends afterwards."

Vicki smiled brightly and promised she would definitely seek him out on the Hogwarts Express and she made her way through the campsite. She left Fred smiling even brighter. Twenty four hours ago Victoria Hartwell was a girl he pined for from afar who he thought he would never speak to. Now she considered him a 'friend'.

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"I don't see why we couldn't ask someone to help us take this tent down with magic. The Weasleys took less than five minutes to get two tents down. We'd be home right now." Vicki huffed as she crossed her arms.

She watched Roger and could read his expression. She knew he was uncomfortable that she had spent the night in their tent but he knew he couldn't speak up considering it was he who was in the doghouse. If he uttered a word about it he knew Vicki would start a full fight.

"Yeah well the tent is down. It's an expensive one. My father would have a fit if I let some stranger wreck it taking it down." Roger stated but let out a sharp breath as he feared this would make Vicki angry.

Instead it did the opposite. It softened her. Roger was in the same position as her. He had parents at home worried sick about his safety. They would be anxiously waiting for him to walk through their door and hoping they would see him again. What had happened the night before was a huge event, and Vicki was busy being angry rather than looking at the big picture. She and Roger had gotten out safely. That was more important than who was in the right and who was in the wrong.

It was at that moment she decided to drop this. As long as Roger knew what he did was wrong, she could forgive him. He was an important part of her life and she couldn't stand to lose him. She really did love him. They had dropped the "L" word early in their relationship but it was times like these she knew she meant it.

"If you're sorry, I forgive you." Vicki blurted to Roger as he was packing the last of the tent into his backpack.

"Well I am sorry I couldn't get us out of here faster." Roger responded, misinterpreting what she was trying to say.

Vicki gave him a soft look. It was one where her face softened but she raised her eyebrows. Anyone else may not have known what was going on with one look, but Roger knew. He knew his girlfriend's ways, but he was also quite clever himself. She wasn't just talking about the tent. He knew it was time for him to gush.

"Oh Vicki I am very sorry. I should have taken you when I went over. No, wait. I shouldn't have gone at all," Roger blurted, as he grabbed Vicki's hands to get her to face him to show sincerity "I am truly sorry for the hurt I caused you. I promise it meant nothing and nothing happened. Which is why this is so bad. I hurt you, for nothing."

Vicki didn't respond for a few moments as she studied Roger carefully. She could tell he was being truthful. He did appear sorry. Vicki knew his genuine remorse meant that she could move on and stop the fighting.

"Nothing definitely happened?" Vicki asked. She knew she was giving him a free pass to lie so she quickly added on "Because if something did happen with those witches now is the time to tell me."

"No. Nothing happened," Roger admitted as he shook his head vigorously "Did anything happen between yourself and any of the Weasleys?"

Vicki looked at Roger in horror and held herself from snapping at him again. She didn't like that now Roger thought he was in the clear he felt it appropriate to start to throw accusations out in the air. She however gulped down her anger and decided to give him an answer. If it satisfied any weird feelings he was having and he didn't say anymore, it would be okay.

"Of course not. I stayed in the girls tent anyway with the youngest one, Ginny as well as that really smart fourth year that hangs around Harry Potter, her name is Hermione." Vicki responded casually.

She noticed Roger sigh a breath of relief and his entire demeanour changed. His shoulders also dropped, he was relaxing. Vicki was glad she stopped herself from an outburst as the anger disappeared. It was probably understandable that Roger was wondering if something happened considering she was angry at him, and spent the night with other people.

"C'mon, let's go grab a portkey and get out of here." Roger stated as he took Vicki's hand and led her to the end of the campsite.

The crowd was quite thin at this point so they didn't have to manoeuvre their way around too many people. They also weren't held up any acquaintances as it appeared there weren't any left to stop and talk to.

Vicki blinked as she looked around. Less than twenty four hours ago it was a cheerful campsite full of happy people. Now it was deserted and depressing. She was glad they were getting out of there.

Vicki let Roger talk to the wizard handing out portkeys. They didn't have to wait for anyone else as it was decided they'd grab a portkey to London so Roger could safely deliver Vicki to her mother. As the magic community had to live in secret most had settled their own communities in country areas. Therefore Roger and Vicki didn't have to wait for any families to join them, and there were plenty of Central London port keys left over.

Moments later Vicki and Roger found themselves on the ground of a football pitch near Vicki's home. Vicki composed herself and flattened her clothes as she picked herself off the ground. Roger on the other hand looked around amazed at the surroundings. As he was not a muggle born (or in Vicki's case brought up in the Muggle World) a football pitch seemed interesting to him.

"Oi, are you lot drunk? My children are here to kick around a football with their dad, not here to see trashy teenagers passed out from the night before." A woman yelled at the two from a few metres away, hands on her hips.

Vicki had held herself together when Roger left her alone the previous night. She had dealt with the much older Bagman flirting with her. She survived a terrorist attack and she held herself together to fix things with Roger. It was however a silly muggle woman who made her snap.

"No we are not drunk. We have had an awful night and ended up here. So don't judge us. We're about to leave anyway." Vicki snapped and turned to leave but the muggle woman kept going.

"No respect from teenagers these days. I don't come here to have to see teenage misfits. This neighbourhood has really gone to the chavs." The woman snarled.

Vicki stopped in her tracks. She may have grown up as part of the magic community but she had grown up partly in the muggle community as well. Before Hogwarts she successfully finished primary school and her mother's house was in a muggle neighbourhood. Therefore Vicki knew all about social and economic statuses and knew exactly what this woman was calling her.

Vicki bit down her anger and tried to keep cool. If she lashed out she knew she would be playing into this woman's argument that she was trash. No, she needed to keep cool and hit her where it hurts.

"Oh, I agree. Poor people really have taken over. Look at you, your clothes look like they cost all of about two quid. In my childhood only women who went to the effort to dress up left the house to come here and see their kids play. Shame." Vicki grinned as she watched the woman seethe.

The woman didn't back down and shrieked insults in a high pitch voice. Vicki didn't bother responding and she only giggled as she grabbed Roger's hand and they began to walk towards Vicki's house.

"I have no idea what just happened," Roger admitted as he studied his girlfriend's face "I don't know what a chav is, and while I think 'two quid' is muggle money, it still means nothing to me."

"Oh, she was basically calling us lower class trash. Rather than proving her right and getting angry and lashing out, I insulted her right back. It's all about reading the enemy and getting under their skin rather than having the last say." Vicki grinned.

"This is how you became the most popular girl in school last year." Roger joked, placing a kiss on his girlfriend's head as the small townhouse Vicki lived in came into sight.

Vicki gave him a small smile. This statement bothered her, and she didn't know why.


	8. Chapter 8

**Huge shout out to Lelleg for reviewing! This chapter goes out to you. You'll be pleased to know Fleur will play a big part in this story. I obviously don't want to give too much away but I can say you'll be happy with how it folds out... eventually!**

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Vicki was quiet as she ate dinner that night. It was a Friday night, usually on Friday nights her mother's partner, Alfred came over for dinner and stayed over.

Alfred was a muggle who was also one of Vicki's primary school teachers. This is how he met Vicki's mother, Maureen. Vicki was one of his students a few years ago. He had asked Maureen for a parent-teacher interview as Vicki would sometimes behave strangely. Only later would Alfred learn it was due to Vicki's magical status that made her do strange things in childhood.

Due to laws passed a few centuries ago, wizards must keep their powers in secret from muggles. It is only lawful for witches and wizards to reveal their powers after marriage. Even then sometimes things can get messy and memory charms from ministry wizards can happen. It wasn't unusual for magic and muggle marriages to fall apart within the first year, it was a difficult thing to manage. Divorce between a witch and a wizard was uncommon, but not if a muggle was involved.

Maureen and Alfred weren't married but Alfred still knew about the wizarding world. Maureen had no other plans to marry after her marriage to Max Hartwell fell through. In the event of no planned marriage, a witch or wizard could apply to the ministry to obtain approval to let their partner know. Maureen did just this, and a year after Alfred was let in on the best kept secret in the world: magic exists.

It was a few days since the Quiddich World Cup and Vicki was still in shock. Now she had a few days to think and process what happened (and that her feud with Roger was well and truly over) it made her shiver how close she came to danger. But no one was injured – even the muggle family the attackers had toyed with had made a full recovery according to the Daily Prophet. So she was doing her best to keep her spirits up. She was returning to school the next week and was trying to spend time focusing on that.

Dinner was interrupted suddenly when there was a sharp rap on the door. Alfred and Vicki looked at Maureen, waiting to see if she was expecting someone.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake I don't know who that could be. Fancy coming here right on dinner time." Maureen ranted loudly as she got up from her chair.

"I will never get used to your lot saying "Merlin" instead of God or Heaven." Alfred grinned towards Vicki.

Vicki gave him a soft smile. It had only really dawned on her that the Wizard Community said this. She was about to further contemplate this but moments later she noticed her father being led to the dinner table.

"Victoria Alice Hartwell. You'll never believe who came to my office today." Max loudly stated towards his daughter, it was evident he was quite annoyed about something.

Vicki just gave a blank look towards her father in return. There were a million different people who could have stepped foot into his office today, why did he need to interrupt her Friday night dinner to tell her?

"Arthur Weasley. He had to send me some documents relating to the World Cup fiasco. He told me he decided to personally deliver them to me rather than send a memo, as he wanted to thank me." Max sternly stated.

"Why did he want to thank you?" Maureen asked her ex-husband as her interest grew.

"He wanted to thank Vicki mostly. He complimented me on my parenting and said I must have raised a good one. Apparently Vicki was with the Weasleys during the attack and pulled some of the younger ones to safety." Max replied in a cool tone.

Maureen gaped as she was silent for a few moments. As far as Vicki's parents knew, Vicki was with Roger the whole night. This was the first Maureen was hearing of the two being separated. She then swiftly turned to Vicki.

"Well? Are you going to explain yourself?" Maureen barked at her daughter.

"There is a perfect explanation to this. Why don't we all sit in the lounge and I'll quickly refresh myself and we shall go from there?" Vicki sweetly responded.

Max was about to speak up and decline Vicki's proposal but it was Alfred who spoke up and politely offered to leave. It was as Maureen was reassuring Alfred that he could stay that Vicki slipped up the stairs of the townhouse they lived in.

She whistled for her owl who hooted happily at Vicki's attention as he swooped onto her arm for a scratch in his favourite spot.

"Hiya Fez. I need you to deliver something but it needs to be quick, so I'm going to send you through the Floo Network." Vicki said to the owl.

The owl only tweeted in response. Vicki did this commonly if she needed a quick response, or didn't want the owl to have to travel too far. She would just get the Floo Powder ready and send the owl straight through for an instant delivery. It was the next best thing to a phone call.

Vicki grabbed a pen and paper from her desk as she didn't have any time for formal quill and parchment business.

 _HELP! Come over ASAP. Family is interrogating me over our separation at the WC. Need your help convincing them all is OK._

 _-Vicki x_

Vicki quickly sent the owl through the guest fire place after using some Floo Powder and sending the owl to the correct address. She paced around awkwardly as she didn't know what to expect. In her fast paced move she didn't really give instructions to Roger on how to come over or how to respond.

"Vicki! You come down here right now and explain to me what's going on." Maureen yelled up the stairs to her daughter.

Vicki bit her lip and shouted she would be right down. Just as she was about to trot down the stairs she heard a loud sound from the guest room where the fireplace was connected to the floo network. Moments later Roger emerged wiping the soot off his clothes, the owl hooting happily behind him.

Vicki smiled in appreciation. He could have easily ignored her letter and avoided facing the difficult situation: facing the parents of the girl he left alone at a large sporting match. But instead he rushed over to make things right. That meant a lot to Vicki, especially after what happened.

"So, what's the plan?" Roger asked her, grinning as he gave his girlfriend a quick peck on the lips.

"You're going to tell my parents we got split up at the cup because you went to the toilet and couldn't find your seat after. We spent the whole match trying to find each other in what would be a comical situation under different circumstances." Vicki began.

"Yes and then you stumbled across the Weasleys and decided it was safer than being alone. I mean, that's basically what happened right?" Roger stated.

Vicki smiled and nodded. She knew that it was not right she had to come up with a cover story to save her parents being mad at Roger, and that is not "basically what happened". She however decided to just go downstairs and action their plan. She was over the silly fight they had and wanted to start the new school year on a fresh, happy start.

* * *

"...so that's my plan this year for our way to gain advantage on all three other house teams. The Quiddich Cup will certainly be Ravenclaw's this year." Roger finished, loudly telling his plan to everyone present.

Max Hartwell was impressed. He was a Gryffindor when he was at Hogwarts and had no ties to Ravenclaw other than his daughter but he was also on the Gryffindor team so he appreciated Quiddich talk. Maureen was listening intently, proud of her daughter for choosing such an ambitious young man to be her boyfriend. Even Alfred the Muggle was interested, as Roger was delivering his plan in layman's terms so everyone would be able to follow what he was saying. Roger had everyone at the table impressed as he kept his charms going even after he won them all over when everyone lapped up the World Cup story.

The telephone began to ring loudly. Roger looked around confused as he didn't understand what a telephone was.

"Maureen, I made sure my new place didn't have a telephone when I moved out. They're more of a nuisance than a convenience. You must be the only non-Muggle born with a damn telephone." Max laughed towards his ex-wife.

Maureen didn't see the joke and began to bicker with Max about the importance of embracing Muggle culture as they all lived in a Muggle world. As no one made an effort to answer the phone, Vicki heaved herself off her chair and answered it.

"Hello?" she asked into the phone.

"Vicki! It's Sarah. Are you doing anything tonight?" one of Vicki's friends cheerily asked.

Vicki looked back at the table. Max and Maureen were still squabbling whilst Alfred and Roger looked highly uncomfortable to be in the presence of the animosity. The sooner Vicki could get both Roger and herself out, the better.

"No. I don't. What do you have planned?" Vicki responded.

"Bring some drinks. Let's go to the park and have a few. This will be our last chance before you go to boarding school. Let's go to the one we always go to." Sarah suggested.

Vicki grinned. She always knew it was naughty lying to her parents that she was seeing one of her muggle friends to do something innocent when in fact they were underage drinking in a park. It was just part of being a Britain teenager. She didn't know how common it was in the magic world as no one talked about it at school, but it was very common in the muggle community. The way Vicki saw it, it was her parent's fault for insisting Vicki belong to both worlds, even though technically no muggle blood ran through her.

"Okay I'll get the bus. Be there in about forty five. Oh and I'm bringing Roger." Vicki stated before hanging up and going back to her squabbling parents.

* * *

The alcohol was beginning to affect Vicki. She wasn't completely gone but was a happy tipsy feeling. As her friend Sarah was a muggle, the cover story was that Vicki went to a posh boarding school in Scotland and not a magic one. Sarah knew that she and Roger had met at school and so she believed Roger also went to the posh school.

As Vicki was starting school the next week and would only be able to correspond through letters, Sarah kept forcing alcohol down Vicki's throat, so at this point Vicki had a lot to drink.

"My parents think we're at a restaurant. Almost true, they serve alcohol at restaurants." Sarah giggled loudly as she took a chug out of the cheap wine they had.

"Mine think I'm at a movie with you guys. If we're trying to justify why we're lying than I guess we're watching people and thus not lying." Vicki also giggled.

Roger just sat in silence. Vicki always knew he never really got along with her muggle friends. He was never outwardly rude and chose to stay silent. She guessed that he had trouble connecting with them because he knew so little about their culture. Vicki was ignoring his silence tonight as she didn't want it to get her down.

"Let's go to the toilet. I need to go." Sarah laughed, as she helped Vicki up and they set on their quest.

Clutching their wine they headed off to a public toilet block that was sitting next to a skate park within their main park. They went to head in but saw a mother leading out her two children who looked like they were in their very early teens.

One look at the two intoxicated teenagers grasping alcohol bottles sent the woman into a panic. She began to scream loudly at the two, using the words "my children!" and "trashy" a lot. Vicki could only laugh as she had a lot of run-ins with housewives lately who had a low opinion of her.

A group of boys from the skate park had seen the commotion and were heading over. Vicki wasn't sure whether they were coming to her aide or coming closer to watch the action but she decided to ignore them as she came within earshot.

"Whoa, calm down lady. You look like you need a drink. We have plenty." Vicki joked as she held out her bottle.

Laughter roared out from the skaters and Vicki looked over to see her adoring crowd. Her eyes widened as one of her school friends was present, to which he also had the same reaction.

"Why if it isn't Victoria Hartwell, the prefect. Don't think Professor Flitwick would be too proud of you right now." Lee Jordan joked loudly towards his school mate.

"Yes, tell me your school so I can call them." The woman smirked.

Vicki who had now lost interest with her conflict as she was keen to speak with her friend, muttered the name of a public school near her house and finally the woman left her alone after loudly exclaiming she would call Vicki's school and have her removed as prefect.

"Hey Lee, Roger is around. Let's go find him and catch up." Vicki stated.

Lee said goodbye to one of the boys he was with and then began to follow Vicki, and Sarah who was now quiet as she let Vicki speak with her friend.

Vicki and Lee were loose friends. They weren't considered close friends who ever spent one on one time together, but they were friends who would stop in the corridors on a regular basis to have a catch up and make each other laugh.

They had befriended each other through Roger. Lee Jordan was the Quiddich commentator for the school, which bought Lee and Roger together. Lee mostly said nice things about Roger during his matches and they both had outgoing personalities. When Roger and Vicki started going out she then began to speak to Lee and they found they got along really well. The previous year it was a ritual for the two to catch up between Vicki's Charms and Arithmancy classes and Lee's Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures classes, as it was one of the only times that Lee was without the Weasley twins and Vicki was without Roger. They also had Defence Against the Dark Arts together, but Lee always sat with the twins and Vicki with Roger.

As the trio walked to where Roger was waiting for the two girls, Vicki decided it was a good time to introduce Sarah to Lee, as Vicki could see Sarah was feeling left out. It was also needed for Vicki to strongly drop hints that Sarah was a muggle so Lee didn't let slip anything he shouldn't.

"Lee, this is Sarah. Sarah, Lee." Vicki introduced as they were all walking, lazily waving her hand between them.

"How do you two lovely ladies know each other?" Lee asked the two girls, to which Sarah responded with a high pitched giggle.

Vicki stopped in her tracks and narrowed her eyes at the two. They were flirting. She had no qualms about the two hooking up and in fact it was almost making her smirk. She had been Sarah's matchmaker for a few years now, and thought it would be cute to see Lee with someone. She just knew she had to make it clear to Lee that any discussion of anything magic-related was off the table.

"Public school. We went to the public primary school together." Vicki responded.

"What's a public school?" Lee asked loudly.

Luckily at Lee's question Sarah let out a loud laugh and touched his arm. Unlike public school, Lee seemed to understand this action and he grinned at her. Vicki bit her lip as she watched the two. Even with a only a little exchange they seemed to really be hitting it off. She had to quickly let Lee know, or else he could get in trouble for revealing too much to someone with no magic running through their veins.

"She's a muggle. Sarah is a muggle." Vicki blurted suddenly.

Lee nodded slowly as he understood what Vicki was saying crystal clear. He appreciated her warning and although he was still interested in getting to know this Sarah girl, he knew he would have to zip it about any magic talk. Sarah on the other hand had no idea what a 'muggle' was but scoffed at her friend, as it sounded like an insult.

"Muggle is a code word for really cool people at our school. We had to make up code words as a lot of losers were getting offended. She was calling you cool." Lee quickly responded, picking up on Sarah's discomfort and blurting out a clever cover story.

Sarah's frown turned into a smile as she seemed to accept Lee's explanation. Vicki nearly made a joke to Lee by saying 'Ten points to Gryffindor' for his quick thinking, but she knew it wasn't a good idea. She didn't want to alienate Sarah too much by using in-joke references to their school.

They were now back to where Roger was waiting for the girls, and upon sight of Lee he broke out into a grin. He approached his friend and gave him a fist bump, before breaking out into conversation.

Whilst Roger and Lee chatted happily, Sarah pulled Vicki aside and confirmed exactly what Vicki had thought: Sarah was keen on Lee and wanted Vicki's help. Vicki gave her friend a small pep talk before feeding her more alcohol and then forcing the two girls back into the conversation.

"Who were you here with tonight? I didn't know you skated." Vicki asked suddenly, breaking up the conversation the two boys were having.

"I don't. I was with my cousin who's a muggle born, he loves to skate. I was meant to hopefully see Fred and George tonight but I think their parents are too scared to let them out of their sight due to what happened at the World Cup." Lee explained.

Vicki was about to tell Lee that she was present at the cup and was about to explain how she was with the Weasleys when it all happened but then took a side glance at Sarah. She knew now wasn't the time. She also didn't want to ruin the mood. It was a happy coincidence they had run into Lee, and she wanted to have fun that night.

Vicki looked over to see Roger's reaction and couldn't help to notice that he had balled his hands into a fist and seemed to be distancing himself from the conversation as soon as the twins were mentioned. When Roger noticed that his girlfriend had noticed he dropped his attitude and seemed to smile at her, before addressing the whole group.

"Well. We're all about to go back to school, Sarah included. Let's all drink to the new school year." Roger stated, grabbing one of their bottles in a toast-like-fashion.

Vicki smiled at Roger's inclusion of Sarah as she raised her glass. She was really glad she was with Roger. He was more to her than just the popular handsome Ravenclaw Quiddich captain.

* * *

 _Sorry. Can't make it to pick up your friend this morning. Parents want to go out for lunch as it's our last chance before school starts. They invited you but I said you're busy. I'll owl you later xx_

Vicki thought nothing of the note the Davies family owl had delivered to her the next morning. It waited around for a response but Vicki didn't have time to respond as she jumped out of bed.

Vicki knew her mother would be furious if she got home late last night and her "movie theatre" lie would not hold up if she got home too long after midnight. Sarah on the other hand planned ahead and told her parents she was spending the night at Vicki's so she had breathing room.

As both Sarah and Lee were wanting to kick on and both ended up having a form of attraction to each other, it was decided that Sarah would party on with Lee at his parent's place. At the time Vicki snickered and made comments that they would have to be quiet but Lee then informed her that his parents were away, hence why he was with his cousin earlier that night, as he was bored.

Vicki promised Sarah that she would go see her in the morning. It was dangerous territory for Lee to be taking a muggle back to a wizard household, so Vicki knew it was important to be there in the morning to smooth things over if need be. Roger said the previous night that he would go with Vicki if he was available, but it turned out he wasn't.

After a quick shower and putting on clothes and make-up, Vicki sat down at the kitchen table and took a slice of toast from her mother's plate.

"Is it okay if I see Sarah again today? She's freaking out about the fact we won't see each other until Christmas." Vicki asked her mother.

"Oh," her mother smirked and Vicki winced as she had an inkling she was busted but her mother continued "Of course. It's highly unlikely you'll see her at Christmas but you'll find out why in a few days."

Vicki wanted to press her mother on the weird thing she had slipped out, but also didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. She had gotten away with what she had actually done the previous night and that's all she cared about.

She bid her mother farewell as she made her way into the guest bedroom, where the floo network was connected to the fireplace. Grabbing some powder she addressed the address that Lee had given her the precious night and upon hoping Sarah was not where she'd come shooting out, she jumped in.

Moments later she found herself on the floor of an unfamiliar room. She looked around at the surroundings and saw a photo on the wall of Lee with two adults – his parents. She sighed a breath of relief, she was clearly in the right place.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here George?" a very familiar voice spoke up.

"I think we've caught ourselves a Victoria Hartwell, Fred." The other twin responded.

"Sneaking into the Jordan household. Clearly you're up to no good." George 'tsked' towards Vicki.

"I actually have a reason to be here. Do you?" Vicki defensively asked, as she crossed her arms against her chest.

"We're here to see our dear old friend. Do we need any other reason?" Fred grinned.

On the inside, aside from confused as to why she was actually there, Fred was ecstatic. He didn't think he would see Vicki again before school started but here she was in the flesh. He had been contemplating writing to her since the world cup but even sometimes he grew scared of some things, and writing to Victoria Hartwell was one of them.

"Well, my friend Sarah stayed the night. She's a muggle, so I'm basically here to escort her off the property and make sure she doesn't question stuff like why the photos are moving and all the other weird stuff." Vicki explained.

She watched as two grins spread across the twin's faces. Vicki smiled softly but rolled her eyes. She had made a huge mistake telling the twins that their best friend had a girl over. This was not going to end well.

Without warning Vicki ran off down the hallway in search of the room that was Lee's. It wasn't too hard to find as it was the only door closed, and it had also a huge Gryffindor lion across the front. Vicki's problem was that the twins had sprinted off behind her, not wanting Vicki to spoil their fun.

"Oi Sarah, Lee, you two better make yourselves modest." Vicki yelled through the door, rapping on it loudly.

Fred had caught up to her and laughed as he came from behind and held her in an embrace. He placed his hand on her mouth to stop her talking as he motioned for George to take control.

George grinned as he dug into his pocket and pulled out something that Vicki noticed had the Zonkos logo brightly displayed. He opened the door and threw the product in and shut the door quickly before taking a step back to be in line with Fred and Vicki.

"It's muggle safe, don't worry. It's inspired by some muggle party device, so your friend won't think twice." George explained to Vicki as if he were reading her mind.

Vicki only nodded. She couldn't respond as Fred had her trapped in his embrace still, holding her mouth shut. As Lee and Sarah were yelling loudly now it was still important for the twins to ensure Vicki would not ruin the fun.

Fred also knew he was getting too much enjoyment from the contact he was having with Vicki. He was trying to not read too much into it because he knew the moment was no way near as intimate to her as it was to him. But he enjoyed the embrace nonetheless. It gave him the opportunity to softly caress her skin and hair without her being any the wiser.

His eyes widened at his thoughts as the door flung open and there stood an angry Lee. Lee's reaction should have amused him but instead he was the one gaping. Fred realised at that exact moment that he no longer just had a small innocent crush on Vicki. After getting to know her, he was now deeply obsessed.

"Well if it isn't the Weasley twins. Why am I not surprised. You also seem to have Vicki held hostage?" Lee firmly stated, crossing his arms in passive anger.

Vicki watched Lee intently. He was covered in silly string and she came to the conclusion that George's prank device must have exploded the room with silly string. She attempted to giggle but it was muffled by Fred's hand. Fred however felt the vibration and he smiled at Vicki's amusement.

Fred decided to inch in and see the damage. Keeping his firm grasp on Vicki accidentally, he slowly waltzed into the room to see colourful bursts all over.

"Roger, what on earth are you doing to your poor girlfriend?" Sarah laughed, but then went silent when she realised it was a stranger who was holding her friend.

"Roger?" George asked loudly.

"Boyfriend?" Fred added on, as he quickly let go of Vicki in shock.

Vicki awkwardly shifted her weight as she shot the two twins a guilty look. She had almost forgotten that the last time she saw them just a few days ago, she was still in the middle of a disagreement with Roger. She hadn't had the chance to tell them he had apologised, and that he swore nothing had happened. Therefore she knew she presently looked like a fool for taking him back.

"Omigosh! Sorry! The way you were holding her, it looked like a boyfriend hold so I assumed you were Roger. Makes sense why Lee said the hostage thing, I guess they're both similar." Sarah giggled.

Fred tried his hardest not to flush red. He was never embarrassed and he wasn't willing to start now.

"Anyway. I'd help clean up but I gotta go, my brother is playing football today and I said I'd watch. Thanks for the truly unforgettable night. I had a lot of fun." Sarah purred towards Lee, putting a hand on his chest as she gave a wink seductively before she began to head out.

Lee quickly followed her and Vicki assumed it was to make sure she didn't stumble across any magic objects on her way out. He did however have time to quickly turn to Fred and George and make a hand gesture indicating what sexual encounter happened the night previously.

There was silence between Fred, George and Vicki for a few moments before the twins spoke up.

"So..." George began.

"You forgave Roger?" Fred blurted out.

Vicki didn't know how to respond. Part of her felt ashamed she was about to break the news that she loved Roger too much to let him go, but she also felt a surge of anger. What was it to them? She barely even knew the twins. But then she realised even though she barely knew them, they cared enough about her to be unhappy about how Roger treated her.

As Vicki didn't speak up, it was George who did.

"Fred and I came here to take Lee to Diagon Alley, it's the first mum has let us out all summer, aside from the cup." George began to explain.

"She's unhappy that we only got three O.W.L.S each." Fred interjected.

Vicki's eyes went wide but she remained silent to be polite. She got very good grades on every subject she took, she couldn't imagine only passing three. Vicki understood why Mrs Weasley was angry, but she wasn't about to tell the twins this.

"So why don't you come along and tell us all about it? You said it at the World Cup, we're friends now." George smiled towards Vicki.


	9. Chapter 9

"OH MY GOD!" Vicki heard a familiar voice shout towards her, and she turned around to see her black haired best friend run towards her and engulf her into an enthusiastic hug.

Whilst Sarah was her best muggle friend, Stephanie Fawcett was her best friend at Hogwarts. Stephanie lived in the same magic housing community as Vicki's father, so whilst they didn't spend a lot of time together over the summer, they did see each other occasionally.

Sarah was the friend that Vicki could do muggle things with, such as going clothes shopping and watch trashy television soap operas with. Stephanie on the other hand was someone she could do witch things with. They traded beauty spells and gossiped about fellow witches and wizards. After spending the last couple of months living an (almost) muggle lifestyle, Vicki was ready to dive right into wizard culture again. That was the last summer where she wouldn't be allowed to use magic outside of school, but it seemed to go slowly. She was looking forward to using magic again.

"Hello Stephanie. Did you have a nice summer?" Vicki's mother, Maureen asked her friend.

"Yes I did, Miss Smith," Stephanie said as she put on a sweet smile and correctly used Maureen's maiden name "Did you enjoy having Vicki at home?"

Vicki smirked at her friend as her mother answered Stephanie's question. Stephanie and Vicki were very similar, but unlike Vicki who wore her heart on her sleeve, Stephanie Fawcett was a master manipulator. Even though Steph had no sinister motives on speaking to Vicki's parents, she still managed to put on a sweet smile to wrap the parents around her finger. Vicki was a quick thinker and was always on her feet, but Stephanie was quite the actress. The two girls gained a lot of popularity the previous year and it was by no fluke.

"It's five to eleven. We really should jump onto the train and gain our seats." Vicki stated as she broke up the conversation between her mother and her best friend.

Every year both of Vicki's parents, as well as her mother's partner Alfred came to see her off on the train. It was a cute tradition that her parents treasured, as they both did miss her while she was away. So Vicki bid farewell to her parents and her mother's partner – she did respect Alfred but both Alfred and Maureen decided to go against the title of 'stepfather'. Vicki wasn't sure whether they felt too old or because Alfred was previously Vicki's teacher and it was weird, but he would always just be Alfred.

Vicki promised to write weekly to her parents and with a kiss on the cheek and a hug she boarded the Hogwarts Express with her friend.

"Aw, that's cute." Stephanie teased her, her sarcastic manner taking over now there were no adults around to fool.

"Where were your parents?" Vicki asked, crossing her arms across her chest defensively.

"They couldn't wait to see the back of me. They dropped me off at ten and quickly left. So prefer that, less sappy." Stephanie grinned towards Vicki.

Vicki grinned back and shook her head. It sounded sad that Stephanie's parents dumped her and left, but she knew that's what the Fawcett family were like. Vicki knew that Stephanie's family loved her dearly, but had a different way of showing it.

A few minutes after Stephanie and Vicki boarded the train, the Hogwarts Express began to chug slowly out of Kings Cross.

"C'mon. Let's go grab a compartment whilst these chumps are waving goodbye to their families. They'll all be full in the next two minutes." Vicki said to Stephanie, tugging on her arm to pull her away from the crowds gathered around the windows.

Steph smiled at her friend, trying to hide a small smile. Vicki knew what was coming, she had only briefly caught up with Steph and she was about to get ditched.

Steph knew her friend had already caught on. She got on the defensive immediately.

"Remember last summer when you spent the whole train ride with Roger, who you had only started dating? Yeah, I'm cashing in on that. I started dating Stebbins, the Hufflepuff over summer, so I'm going to pull a Hartwell and ditch you for him." Steph joked, taking a few steps from Vicki, as a lot of their fellow students started walking around them to secure a compartment.

"I have to spend half the ride in the prefects compartment, I did not willingly ditch you!" Vicki complained.

"Whatever. Your fault for deciding to be a prefect. Anyway, I'll see you when we get off the train. I'm going to go snog Mr. Kyle Stebbins so catchya on the flip side!" Stephanie laughed at Vicki, sending her best friend a wink as she ran down the train corridor in search of her fling.

Vicki shook her head. She wasn't angry at her friend at all, in fact she was almost happy her friend had found romance, there were many times she had genuinely ditched Steph for Roger. Vicki had someone she had to see herself anyway, and was almost glad that she now had the excuse to go do so. She felt in her pocket for a piece of paper she needed to show a certain set of twins, and slowly made her way down the corridor to find them.

She looked into the compartments and after weaving her way through crowds for five minutes, she saw the two she was after. They looked like they were up to something no good as the door was closed and they had their heads together, quietly speaking amongst themselves.

Vicki awkwardly tapped on the door, hoping they were open to the fact she wanted to join them for some of the train trip. They both looked up suddenly and then the two broke out into huge grins. George immediately hopped off his seat and opened the door for Vicki, letting her sit next to Fred as he shut the door before taking a seat.

After the day they had spent time with Lee and Vicki in Diagon Alley, George finally had confronted his twin. At the World Cup George could see the chemistry between Vicki and Fred, but he didn't speak up until last week when they were alone one night.

Fred barely spent any time denying it and launched into the full story, telling his twin he used to stare at her from across the Great Hall at meal times or sometimes from across the classroom during the classes they spent together. Fred explained that after his interactions with Vicki at the tail end of summer he now had true feelings for her.

That was it. Once they had the discussion that Fred had strong feelings for Vicki, George dropped it. Although they had very linked lives, girls were still uncharted territory for the two, as up until now they had been too busy scheming to pay attention to girls. For the first time in his life Fred felt uncomfortable telling his brother about something, and George understood Fred's discomfort.

Besides, they were too busy scheming about how to get their money from Bagman, they barely had time to discuss anything else. Little did they know help had just arrived.

"Crappy weather." Vicki opened up with, pointing to the gloomy weather and rain drops hitting the window hard outside.

Fred opened his mouth to make a sarcastic comment about the mundane topic that Vicki had mentioned, but not wanting to be rude he shut his mouth and agreed with her.

"Don't you need to be in the prefects carriage?" George asked her curiously.

"We're allowed to quickly roam the carriages with you commoners before we're due to be in the prefects carriage." Vicki joked.

The twins smiled at her joke, but didn't laugh which made Vicki feel a bit awkward. She needed to show them something she had received in the mail, but what if she wasn't close enough to them to share her problem, and what if she made it really weird?

She decided to push ahead and share what she wanted to share with them. They were present at the World Cup and witnessed first hand the dilemma she needed to share with them. They were definitely better than anyone else to share this with.

"So um... do you remember Ludo Bagman?" Vicki began.

"I don't know Fred, do we remember Ludo Bagman?" George asked his brother sarcastically.

Vicki bit her lip awkwardly. She forgot that Fred and George Weasley were Beaters on the Gryffindor team and that Bagman was a former Beater. They probably worshipped Bagman and here she was about to dish out dirt on him.

Fred noticed Vicki's body language when she mentioned Bagman, it wasn't showing positivity. He remembered the way Bagman tried to take advantage of Vicki. He was also very mad at what Bagman had done to him and his brother, so his response was harsher than George's simple sarcastic question.

"How could anyone forget twat of the year?" Fred responded with pure venom in his voice.

Vicki sighed in relief but smirked as she dug the letter she had received the previous morning. She made no further comment aside from "read this" as she passed the letter to the twins.

 _Dearest Vicki,_

 _Although I hopefully will be seeing you soon, I can't get you off my mind. I had to write to you._

 _How are you enjoying your summer? It's been very busy here at the ministry, not only due to the World Cup but for the fantastic events that soon await you at school, the events which will bring me to you._

 _I would love to hear from you, so I urge you to write back._

 _Faithfully yours,_

 _L. Bagman_

Vicki bit her lip as she watched the two twins read the letter. As they read she saw looks of horror flash on their faces, and then amusement. The two emotions seem to play on their faces until they had obviously reached the end. There was a silence that lasted a few moments until Fred spoke up.

"Really? If you're going to be a creep, at least spit out what's happening at Hogwarts this year." Fred spat out angrily, speaking as if he were speaking to Bagman directly. Fred was annoyed his family were keeping hushed about the events this year, but now even Bagman was teasing him indirectly.

Vicki rolled her eyes but smiled and shook her head at Fred's comment. She was happy he was being his sarcastic self and described what Bagman did as 'creepy' – that was the exact reaction she was hoping for, and the main reason why Fred and George were the only two she had told.

"Well are you going to write back?" George asked, although he was being playful she could tell there was also a truthful curiousity in his question.

 _"_ I think I'm going to-" Vicki began but before she could finish her sentence the compartment door slid open and Roger came bustling in.

"Oh Vicki there you are, I've been looking for you everywhere. I thought you'd be with Stephanie but I saw her snogging some Hufflepuff boy." Roger stated.

Vicki quickly stuffed into her pocket the letter that Fred inconspicuously handed back to her without Roger noticing. She only sent Roger a quick smile.

"Hello Davies." The two twins chorused together, sounding polite but Vicki could tell there was a sarcastic undertone to their greeting.

"Hi," Roger responded stiffly before turning back to Vicki "Come on, we better get to the prefect's carriage. We're already running a bit late."

"Oh, yeah. Well boys, it's been a pleasure but I must love and leave you. I'll see you at school." Vicki stated as she bounced off her seat and headed out, the two twins calling out goodbye after her.

Vicki made her way down the train with Roger, stopping to greet people here and there. She spent most of the time musing on Roger's sudden coldness towards the Weasley twins. Although Roger and Lee were on good terms, Roger rarely associated with the two twins. He never expressed a dislike for them however, and had sometimes laughed at a few of their pranks, and funny comments in class.

But after the World Cup whenever they were mentioned, or now when he saw them in person, he grew cold and stiff. Vicki thought it was unreasonable, but didn't want to start a fight by bringing it up.

They finally made their way to the prefect's carriage and as all the seats besides two were full, it was obvious they were the last two to arrive.

"Sorry. Had urgent business to take care of. We were patrolling the corridors." Vicki quickly blurted out, thinking quickly for a lie.

"That's not the truth and you know it. Never mind, sit. Paul and I aren't going to run you prefects like Percy Weasley and Penelope Clearwater did last year." Kelly Winters, the head girl from Slytherin smirked.

"That's correct. We do have a duty to the school and need to uphold our duties to the best of our abilities. But we can still have fun once in a while." Paul Greene, the Ravenclaw head boy added on.

"Are you bringing back the pool parties?" Vicki asked quickly, still standing at the door way and not letting anyone speak up.

"You know it." Kelly winked at her.

"Hold on, what are the pool parties?" a newly-made fifth year prefect asked up.

It was common knowledge through the school that one of the main perks of being a prefect is that prefects (as well as house Quiddich captains) was access to the lavish prefect bathroom. It had the nicest facilities made of marble and the most exquisite products to use.

One of the main features was a huge bath almost the size of a pool in the middle. For a long time it was an unofficial tradition for the Head Girl and Head Boy to organise "pool parties" in the bathroom for their prefects to blow off steam and have some fun. However the previous year Weasley and Clearwater had taken the fun away and refused to schedule these parties, meaning that the school prefects used to just organise them secretly amongst themselves.

Vicki had never been to an "official" pool party and was excited to see if it were any different from the ones they used to organise in secret.

As there were only two seats free that were not next to each other, Vicki and Roger were forced to separate as Kelly was explaining the pool party concept. Roger took a seat next to a bunch of grinning fifth years whilst Vicki saw the last one was opposite Cedric Diggory, who smiled at her as she sat down.

"Hello Vicki, did you have a good summer?" Cedric asked politely.

Vicki and Cedric mostly spoke for the rest of the train ride. They spoke about the events that happened at the World Cup and how they survived, and then once that was out of the way they swapped stories about summer.

There was a brief gap as Vicki excused herself to change into her Ravenclaw robes and to pin on her prefect badge but as soon as she sat back down they started chatting again. Vicki thought it was nice and enjoyed his company. Vicki and Cedric had barely spoken over the years even though their parents were friends, but after their chat before the World Cup and their talk on the train ride Vicki realised she got along really well with Cedric. She made a note of talking to him more often.

"Alright, listen up. I've just got word we're stopping in the next five minutes. Each one of you is to pick a carriage and wait for the train to come to a stop. You will then open the door and let your fellow students out." Paul the Head Boy called out to all of the prefects.

"But it's raining!" of the new fifth year prefects complained.

"If it makes you feel better, you'll only get wet approximately five seconds before the rest of the student population does." Vicki pointed out, and she watched Cedric in front of her send her a small smile.

No one else bothered to complain, perhaps due to the filthy look Kelly shot them all, almost daring anyone else to speak up. The prefects then trudged out of their carriage and down the train passages as each one chose a door.

When the train stopped it wasn't a fun time for the students. Not only was the rain bucketing down and making the students feel as if they had stepped into a shower with their clothes on, the rain was icy cold, pricking all their skins as their clothes clung to them cruelly.

This was less fun for the prefects who had to wait for the students to disembark first before they could close the doors and head over to the horseless carriages. Vicki ushered a few second years over to the carriages, as it was their first time using them.

"Do you want me to ride with you?" Vicki softly asked a group of terrified looking second year Ravenclaws.

They took her up on her offer and she was about to climb in until she felt a strong (and very wet) pair of arms pull her away and heave her into a different carriage.

Vicki yelped in shock but once she was tucked out of the rain and had clear vision again she could see she was pulled into a carriage containing both Fred and George Weasley, as well as Lee Jordan.

"You okay, Vicki?" Fred grinned at her, and she realised he was the one who pulled her in.

Vicki then began to laugh. She should be angry that she was taken against her will and those poor second years would be so confused, but instead she saw the humour and laughed.


	10. Chapter 10

Vicki winced as the carriage came to a halt, a few steps away from the castle. It wasn't the rain or getting soaked that worried her. The cobblestoned path that led to the entrance was uneven and dangerous even in perfect weather. In the wet it became a serious hazard. Vicki was afraid of falling over in front of the whole school.

George noticed Vicki looking out the window in a worried manner, and he nudged his twin and pointed to his twin's crush. Even Lee, who had been oblivious to Fred's feelings for Vicki picked up on this and raised his eyebrows to the two twins, indicating he would be asking about this action later.

George disembarked from the carriage first and Lee hesitantly followed after, wanting to see what was going to happen between Vicki and Fred. As they were both being pelted with rain they quickly changed their minds on hanging around to watch Fred and made a beeline for the school entrance, leaving Fred and Vicki alone.

"I'll help you out. I can help you out of the carriage." Fred offered to Vicki.

Vicki looked out of the carriage and saw the uneven pavement below. She then looked back at Fred and nodded, not thinking twice.

Fred got out of the carriage, jumping out as he grinned towards the now sole occupant. Vicki took no hesitation in appearing out of the door. She knew she probably shouldn't be trusting Fred due to his prank-filled nature and this was a perfect opportunity for some mischief, but she put her trust into him and it paid off. In one quick motion he grabbed Vicki by the waist and swiftly placed her onto the ground, no effort involved.

To Vicki it was just the act of a friend helping her out but to Fred it was so much more. He was afraid he was making his feelings too obvious, especially as Vicki was still unavailable, he knew he would need to tone it down.

"Sorry love but I need to go. So many first years to prank, so little time." Fred smirked, barely leaving enough time for Vicki to respond as he ran off into the school entrance.

Vicki thought absolutely nothing of Fred's sudden departure as it was actually very in-character for him to do so, and she headed into the castle herself. As she was delayed at the train platform with her prefects duties and then as it took her a few minutes to get out of the carriage, the Entrance Hall was deserted, even Fred had manage to run into the Great Hall by the time Vicki arrived. All of the students were now in the Great Hall.

There was one person waiting for her. Stephanie Fawcett.

"You hate me for leaving you for Stebbins on the train!" Stephanie whined loudly.

Vicki looked at her friend and giggled when she saw that Stephanie was being completely serious. Her friend had purposely waited around for Vicki as she was paranoid Vicki was mad about earlier. Vicki thought it was sweet, but also amusing.

"I don't hate you for that. I will however hate you if you don't help me make myself more decent before going into the Great Hall in front of the whole school. I don't want to appear in front of everyone as a drowned rat. I know a great drying spell for our clothes and we can do something with our hair, but I'm hoping you have some make-up on you, mine is in my suitcase." Vicki responded.

Stephanie didn't say a word but held up a pink bulging bag smirking.

Inside the Great Hall Fred had taken a seat next to his twin George. Lee had scooted across (to the dismay of Angelina Johnson, who thought this was one of Lee's tricks to flirt with her as he entered her personal space to make room) and Fred sat in between the two.

"What on earth is going on with you and Vicki Hartwell?" Lee hissed towards Fred quietly.

"Nothing. That's the problem." George joked.

"It's not a problem. She's taken and I would never go after another man's woman. But it can't hurt to get to know her in case they were to ever break up." Fred winked towards Lee.

Lee began to laugh heartily, but then grew silent as a serious look dawned over him.

"You've put me into quite the predicament. You two are my best friends but Roger and Vicki are good friends too. If they were to break up and if you got Vicki, it could get very awkward between Roger and me." Lee explained.

George said something in defence but Fred didn't hear him. It was at that moment that Stephanie Fawcett and Victoria Hartwell burst into the Great Hall. Both of them were glowing, they were the only students not drenched as they had somehow dried themselves off, and both held total confidence as they glided towards their spot at the Ravenclaw table. Fred watched as Vicki sat next to Roger and gave him a passionate kiss.

"Cheer up mate. It's just a crush. Plenty of fish in the sea." Lee said to his best mate as he pat him on the shoulder, but George stayed silent as he watched his brother grimly.

"Oh look, here come the first years!" a second year from the Ravenclaw table piped up. Vicki withdrew from her affections with her boyfriend as she saw Professor McGonagall lead the first years to the head of the Great Hall for sorting.

Vicki stayed quiet as she watched the first years look around amazed. Stephanie was picking apart their appearances but Vicki was drowning her out. She would always remember the wonder and innocence when she first stepped into the Great Hall to be sorted herself. Her nerves of sorting slipped away when she looked at the wonders. The night filled sky in lieu of a roof (which she now knew was just an enchantment), the handsome goblets and cutlery and hundreds of students of people like her, witches and wizards who had their eyes on her. Even though she wasn't muggle born, she almost felt like one on her first day at Hogwarts, as she hadn't seen much of wizard culture in living in London.

It was something she would never be able to experience again, not for the first time anyway. She and Stephanie liked to sometimes bring attention to themselves but it would never bring back the feelings of stepping into the school for the very first time and having everyone's eyes on her.

During the hat's song, Vicki swelled with pride at every mention of Ravenclaw. She was very house proud and loyal. She had begged to be in Ravenclaw when the hat was sorting her six years ago. "Really? You have Ravenclaw traits yes, but the house I would like to sort you into would suit you better" the hat stated. Vicki spent half a minute arguing with the hat about why she would do best in Ravenclaw.

"Oh very well then, you clearly are a Ravenclaw." The hat had announced at the time.

That was now six years ago, but sometimes it still makes her shiver how close she had gotten to being part of a different house.

Vicki watched intently as the first of the first years (Stewart Ackerley) stepped forward and sat upon the three legged stool. She couldn't see his reaction as the hat covered his entire face but she saw the hat moving which meant the kid must have been shaking.

"RAVENCLAW!" the hat shouted eagerly.

Stephanie and Vicki looked at each other and nodded. Stephanie was nearly as house proud as Vicki and loved making a big scene. This was a perfect way to combine the two.

"Num-ber one! Num-ber one!" Stephanie yelled out eagerly.

"We got the first one! Lucky first. Go Ravenclaw!" Vicki yelled loudly, clapping and whistling as Stewart made his way to the table, still nervous but now about the attention he was receiving.

Vicki noticed Fred smirking at her from the Gryffindor table and he shot her a proud thumbs up. She returned it as she settled down for the next student to be sorted.

Gryffindor didn't receive a new student until the fifth student sat on the seat to be sorted. Vicki watched Fred carefully as the hat shouted Gryffindor, and he grinned at her mischievously as he jumped up with George and they shouted in unison.

"First the worst, fifth the best!" for the entire hall to hear.

Vicki just poked her tongue out at the twins in protest.

The rest of the sorting happened in a similar fashion. Stephanie and Vicki began competing with the twins whenever a first year was sorted into their house. Each time their respective house gained a new member, they all got louder and louder. By the end Vicki and Stephanie got up and stamped their feet chanting a song, and the twins jumped up onto their seats screaming.

It had gained attention from most other people in the hall who watched eagerly and laughed at the antics. A few teachers seemed unimpressed, but one time when Professor Dumbledore caught her eye Vicki noticed his twinkling eyes scrunched up into a smile.

"Not trying to steal Vicki from Roger you say? What would you call that?" Lee asked Fred as the sorting hat was taken away by Professor McGonagall.

"Fun. I'd call that fun." Fred grinned.

At the Ravenclaw table Vicki could tell Roger was moody and she guessed it was due to her behaviour, especially as Roger appeared to now hold some grudge against the twins. Vicki chose to not even acknowledge his bad mood and instead put her attention onto Dumbledore who had now stood up.

"I have only two words to say to you all. Tuck in." Dumbledore boomed throughout all of the Great Hall, a smile in his words.

As always, the magnificent golden plates around appeared with food around. A lot of the students began to dig into the dishes. Vicki stayed back and was planning to wait until all of the other students were eating before she would take any food to prevent having to fight her way through the food.

Vicki took a sidewards glance at her boyfriend who also wasn't touching any food either, just staring aimlessly at the table. She sighed. She hated it when Roger was in a mood and although she felt she hadn't done anything wrong, she was willing to try and work it out anyway to snap him out of it so they could both be normal again.

Vicki put an arm around Roger to test the waters. When he didn't react negatively (or at all) she knew it was safe to continue.

"Look, I'm sorry I embarrassed you. I got caught up in the moment, if I planned to do something I should have at least given you a warning." Vicki softly said to Roger, as she was patting his shoulders.

His reaction caught her off guard. During any tiffs they ever had it usually resulted in neither of them admitting fault but then they'd move over it swiftly. Not this time. Roger was about to do something unprecedented and accept blame.

"It's fine, babe. It was actually pretty funny." Roger smirked at Vicki, leaning over and giving her heated kiss whilst everyone around stuffed their faces with food.

Once they were done Vicki went straight to filling her plate with as much food as she could pile on. Roger on the other hand cast a look towards the Gryffindor table. Roger noticed that one of the twins was busy laughing and joking with everyone within earshot but the other one, was looking straight at them. Roger wasn't sure which twin was the one staring at him but he made sure to stare back. This was war.

The couple spent the entirety of dinner conversing with their house. Vicki decided to welcome the new first years and spent some time giving them hints and tips about Hogwarts. Roger on the other hand went to sit with the rest of his Quiddich team so they could speak about the upcoming season. All was fine between him and his girlfriend, Vicki barely noticed he was gone as she chattered away with her friends.

A while later when all of the students could not eat another bite and all forks were down, the plates cleared just as magically as they did when the food first appeared. Professor Dumbledore got up from his seat and all students fell quiet.

Dumbledore began to speak about the usual start of term announcements. Even though Vicki was a prefect and knew she should be paying attention, they always bored her and she always found herself zoning in and out, daydreaming during them.

However she started paying attention again for a moment, and it was an announcement which would stop her from zoning out for the rest of the night.

"It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quiddich Cup will not take place this year." Dumbledore announced.

Vicki whipped her head around to Roger. Amusement went through her head for a split second as she knew he had lost his bargaining chip for getting out of both school tasks and some of his prefect duties. But then as she saw the look of anguish on his face as he silently gaped at Dumbledore, his friends surrounding him doing the same, she felt awful. Roger had worked incredibly hard over summer to perfect a plan for Ravenclaw to win the cup, and now in a matter of seconds it was revealed his hard work was nothing.

Vicki's eyes shot to the other tables. At the Hufflepuff table she saw Cedric look confused. At the Gryffindor table she watched as the Weasley twins gape at Dumbledore angrily. She even cast her eyes towards the Slytherin table where one of the boys in her year level who she was friendly with, Graham Montague the Slytherin Chaser, was looking annoyed at the revelation.

She then bought her eyes to the front of the room to hear the reason why Quiddich had been cancelled that year.

"…I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts-" Dumbledore began but then a loud crack of thunder filled the room as the doors to the Great Hall were cast wide open.

The man who slowly limped down towards the teacher's table reminded Vicki of someone out of a muggle horror movie. His face had more scar tissue than face with a big chunk out of his nose missing, with grisly grey hair cascading down his face. He had a wooden leg but that was nothing compared to his eyes – one was small dark and beady, and Vicki could see in one glance that his eye had seen a lot of disturbing things throughout the years. The oddest thing was his other eye – it was some kind of mechanical thing strapped his head, electric blue coloured and rolling around all over. It made Vicki shiver, his appearance was scary.

She noticed Roger was scared too, as he quickly grabbed her hand to squeeze it, Vicki wasn't sure whether he was trying to reassure her, or if he was the one that needed to be comforted.

It took until Dumbledore to announce that this man was the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher for Vicki to realise something. This was the first time in her history at Hogwarts she realised there was total silence from both the students and the staff. Even during announcements there was always a few game students who would chatter to their friends, but right now there was total silence – not a whisper to be heard.

The new professor (whose name was Professor Moody) took a seat and Dumbledore began to speak again. In the midst of Moody's appearance she had momentarily forgotten that Quiddich had been cancelled and Dumbledore was telling all of the students why.

"It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year." Dumbledore boomed throughout the hall.

Vicki didn't even have a chance to process this information as a familiar voice yelled out.

"You're JOKING!" Fred Weasley yelled towards Dumbledore.

Vicki was the first to giggle at Fred's outburst but a few moments later the whole hall was laughing at what Fred had said, Vicki could even hear Roger behind her laughing.

Even though he had made the entire school laugh, Fred looked over at the Ravenclaw table and shot Vicki a wink to which she returned before she gave her full attention back to Dumbledore.

Fred listened intently and held on to every word Dumbledore was saying as he explained the tournament in greater detail.

"I'm going for it!" Fred hissed at everyone within ear shot. For the first time since his crush on Victoria Hartwell turned into an obsession, he wasn't using a major scheme as a plan to impress her. He wanted to enter for the sake of entering – facing real danger sounded like a challenge to him and he wanted to cause a ruckus not only just in front of his own school, but two others as well.

But for a brief second his eyes slipped over to the Ravenclaw table where he saw Vicki quietly speaking to Davies and Fawcett. It certainly would be an added bonus to be the school champion and the glory that came with it could be used to make Vicki think more favourable of him.

Dumbledore had trouble speaking up over the excited chatter of all the students, but could finally finish his announcement and say that only students of legal age could enter. This caused even more noises from the students as many protests were heard loudly.

"And now, it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop chop!" Dumbledore finished and with a clap of his hands he dismissed all of the students and ended the festivities.

Vicki jumped to her feet suddenly. Usually it was the fifth year prefects who had to show the first years to the common room and their dormitories because it was such a gruelling task straight after the start of term feast as most people either wanted to go to sleep, or spend the whole night speaking with their friends about their summers.

Vicki on the other hand saw an opportunity. Half an hour's work, forty five tops seemed easy to her, so she switched her entire week of patrol shifts with the fifth year prefects and aside from tonight had her entire first week free to do as she pleased

"First years! Come on, Ravenclaw first years, come be initiated!" Vicki yelled loudly over the sounds of all the students getting up to leave the Great Hall, and the other prefects calling for their own houses' first years.

As some of the other students started disappearing it became easier for Vicki to round up her own students, and before long she had all of them around her.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, I promise to not take up too much of your time, so you can either go to sleep or gossip with each other." Vicki winked towards the first years.

As Vicki expected, some of them reacted positively but others rolled their eyes, thinking Vicki was trying too hard.

"Oh, you poor things, having to deal with Victoria Hartwell. She's really mean, she'll eat you all alive. Get out while you can." Fred Weasley announced himself to the first year Ravenclaws, appearing out of nowhere and putting an arm around Vicki. Vicki noted this was one of the very rare times he was without his twin, George.

"First years, may I first announce you to one half of Hogwarts' infamous trouble making twins, Fred Weasley. I suggest you stay away from them for a while or they'll turn your hair blue, like they did to me in my first few weeks here." Vicki announced, pretending to sound frustrated but shot Fred a sly smile.

Not a single first year spoke up. A few gave some small weak smiles, whilst the rest did look genuinely terrified. One girl at the front scoffed and rolled her eyes, and then decided to say something.

"Can you two please stop flirting so we can go to our dormitories?" The girl shot at Vicki and Fred in a high pitched whiny voice.

Fred narrowed his eyes at the girl. Not only would this mean he would have to move along due to the words of a pathetic first year student, it almost blew his cover and might make Vicki question his future interactions with her. He was not a happy camper.

Fred backed off playfully, moving two fingers between his eyes to the girl in the 'I'm watching you' hand gesture as he disappeared into the sea of students silently.

"Better watch it, you'll be one of his first targets of the year now." Vicki giggled, as she began leading the first years out of the Great Hall, towards Ravenclaw Tower.


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning Vicki was met with a lot of wolf whistles as she arose. Rightly so, as it was the boy's dormitory she woke up in. She got out of Roger's bed dressed in pyjama pants and a band t-shirt for a muggle band that she was wearing the previous night, but no clothes, curtains or silencing charms could hide what Vicki and Roger got up to on their first night back at Hogwarts.

This wasn't unusual for the two. As the dormitories were charmed that only girls could access the boys' dorms and not vice versa it was always Vicki spending the night in Roger's bed on a semi-regular basis. But as it was the first time of the year, the sixth year Ravenclaw boys couldn't help but make a big deal to try and embarrass the two prefects.

Vicki just giggled at the boys, giving Roger one last passionate kiss before telling him she'd meet him in the Great Hall for breakfast and bounded down the stairs to make the way to her own dormitory to grab her clothes so she could make her way to the bathroom to get ready.

Forty five minutes later Vicki emerged at breakfast looking fresh as a daisy. She showered quickly, applied minimal make-up (as the first week of term was when the teachers were on the war path for make-up, after the first week the 'no make-up' policy was usually relaxed to 'natural-looking only' unofficially) and used a spell to quickly straighten her hair.

Rather than immediately taking a seat at the Ravenclaw table to begin breakfast, she began to wander around the hall. She had grabbed her schedule from Professor Flitwick on the way in and was going to do what she did at the start of every term, comparing her timetable with her friends. It was always easier for her to start with her friends in other houses and work her way in.

She found herself naturally gravitating to the Gryffindor table, where she saw the two twins sitting with Lee. Vicki squeezed herself between Lee and the twin to his left – George and grinned as she stole a piece of buttered toast off their table.

"Oi! Food not good enough at the Ravenclaw table?" Fred playfully teased.

"The food is fine thank you very much. Pass me your timetables, I'll compare classes." Vicki responded, shoving the toast into her mouth, wiping her buttery hands onto her school skirt as she gleefully read the timetables passed to her, as Vicki traded her timetable to the three who leaned over to read it.

"You're taking History of Magic? I don't even know anyone who passed the History of Magic O.W.L. let alone who would subject themselves to that torture once it's no longer compulsory." George remarked loudly.

"Could say the same for you – Mr. Herbology. I dropped that like it was hot even though I scraped through with an acceptable." Vicki remarked, as she got out a quill and marked on her own timetable who she was sharing classes with.

"They only got three O.W.L.s each, not like they could be choosy about dropping subjects." Lee snickered.

Vicki remembered the twins telling her at the Quiddich World Cup their mother made a big deal about this fact, grilling them for it just before they left. Therefore Vicki expected a smart remark from at least one of the twins, but they were silent as they were perusing her timetable.

"Well I've got all three of my classes with you – Transfiguration, Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts." Fred stated as he marked his name down on the three classes.

"Last two Fred said. Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts. As we just established, Herbology was my third O.W.L. I achieved." George stated.

Vicki considered remarking about how this was the first time in Hogwarts history the twins would be split up as Lee wrote down the two classes he would be sharing with her (Defence Against the Dark Arts and Charms) but shook her head, feeling she would be stating the obvious and thus it was a pointless remark.

"Miss Hartwell, shouldn't you be seated at another table?" Vicki heard a stern voice say, and she swung herself around to see Professor McGonagall standing behind her. McGonagall always seemed stern but Vicki could tell she wasn't impressed that Vicki was seated at a house table that wasn't her own.

"Sorry, professor. I was just so excited for classes I came over to compare schedules." Vicki blurted out, jumping up quickly as she started to back off.

"You suck up!" George yelled out behind her.

Vicki wanted to stick the rude finger up at him in a jovial manner however as McGonagall was still around she refrained from doing so. To her delight however she watched the professor berate George about his Transfiguration O.W.L. marks and she overheard her saying she was pleasantly surprised that Fred got a grade that allowed him to continue the subject to N.E.W.T level.

Vicki wasn't game enough to try the Slytherin and Hufflepuff tables to find her friends in those houses to compare timetables. She knew if McGonagall had to approach her a second time it wouldn't be just a stern warning and instead Vicki sank down at the Ravenclaw table next to Stephanie.

After a few minutes of Stephanie making fun of the fact Vicki wasn't in her bed last night and the fact she clearly must have been in Roger's, the first warning bell rang which signalled period one was about to begin.

Vicki said goodbye to Steph, as they had two different classes. Steph had Divination whilst Vicki ran for her life to the Dungeons, where she now had potions class.

It was before the second bell that signalled the class had officially started but she saw Professor Snape at the front of the room with his arms crossed, already looking unimpressed with the students. Vicki scanned the room, looking for her boyfriend as over summer they agreed to partner up in potions in hopes of getting good marks.

She found him easily enough. But he was seated next to Phillip Bridge, his best friend. She balled up her fist and approached him, not wanting to make a scene but she did want to find out what was going on.

"Are you two working together for now on, or is it just this class?" Vicki asked Roger, standing next to him with her arms crossed.

Phillip looked between the two and Vicki could see he was trying to stifle laughter. She had never told Roger because she didn't like speaking ill of his friends, but she had never liked Phillip. She thought he was a trouble maker, and not in a fun way.

"Well, yeah. Come on babe, we're together nearly all the time." Roger stated, using a condescending tone towards his girlfriend.

Vicki narrowed her eyes at him. She didn't appreciate the way he used 'babe' in a derogatory manner, or his tone. She however noticed that everyone in the dungeon had their eyes on them, including Snape who looked livid that a couples' argument had been bought into his classroom. Vicki knew now was not the place to argue.

"I respect your decision, I really do. But it would have been nice if you told me. We will discuss this later." Vicki responded, and began to back off, trying to use a neutral tone.

"Clingy girls, man. Even the hot ones can turn clingy." Phillip loudly stated.

Vicki stopped in her tracks, shocked by Phillip's outburst. Vicki was appalled by Phillip's comment, and she noticed a few people around the dungeon throwing filthy looks towards the two boys. She had hoped Roger would at least say something in her defence, but instead he added fuel to the fire.

"Yes well, I seem to have that effect on women don't I?" Roger grinned, to which all Vicki was capable of letting out was a scoff that echoed throughout the dungeon, as she was too gobsmacked to let out any other sounds, let alone speech.

Snape looked at the trio hatefully as he began to make his way over. It was only due to this that stopped Vicki from piping up and abusing the both of them. So much anger flowed through her body it was hard to focus on anything else but lucky for her, an arm slung around her shoulder and led her to a cauldron that had been set up.

"Would you like to work with me for potions in the mean time? It can be as permanent or temporary as you'd like." Cedric stated after he lead Vicki to his cauldron, sending her a reassuring smile to try and cheer her up.

"Thanks." Vicki gratefully smiled as she felt the anger begin to leave her body, she was able to now function again.

Snape loudly cleared his throat at the front of the classroom and made a sarcastic remark, showing the class he was eager to start the lesson. The whole class grew silent, and turned quickly to face Snape, and the first Potions class of the year began.

Vicki made a point of avoiding Roger for the rest of the day. At lunch she made sure to sit at the very opposite side of the Ravenclaw table so she wouldn't have to talk to Roger. In the class after potions she got to tell Steph about what had happened. Steph was so disgusted she blew off her plans with Stebbins from Hufflepuff all day to offer Vicki moral support, and to act as a barrier between Vicki and Roger.

Not that she really needed to. Roger didn't attempt to approach Vicki once, in fact he barely even glanced in her direction. He acted as if Vicki was the one who wronged him. It also didn't help that Phillip loudly made comments about Vicki if she were in ear-shot. One small win for Vicki however was that not one other one of Roger's friends joined in with Phillip's teasing. In fact, they all seemed uncomfortable with what Phillip had to say and quickly diverted the topic every time he did so.

Towards the end of lunch Vicki got up from the table early, intending to go outside for a moment. Due to all of the heavy storms the night previously all of the outside was green and fresh, shining in the sun. The weather was quite nice, and it would most likely be the last day of nice weather until the end of the school year. She wanted to go outside and soak up the rays.

She saw someone run after her and she stopped and smiled as she let the person catch up to her.

"Hello Graham. Sorry I didn't get a chance to see you on the train or at the feast last night. I was going to head over to the Slytherin table this morning but McGonagall yelled at me for going to the Gryffindor one." Vicki explained, as they both walked outside together and sat on the steps that led into the Entrance Hall.

"Well, I was going to forgive you, until you said you went to see the Gryffindorks first. That hurts." Graham Montague joked, feigning hurt as he put a hand over his heart.

Graham Montague was one of the few people Vicki still spoke to who she was on good terms with before her 'transformation' from a blip on the radar into the most popular girl at school. In her second year Ravenclaws were put with Slytherins for Potions class. Vicki at the time had no one to partner with as all of her dorm mates quickly paired with each other, but Montague who was in a similar boat paired with her.

They had ended up working together for all of second, third and fourth year potions. In their fifth year there was another change and Ravenclaws were paired with Hufflepuff for potions. This was convenient for Vicki as she was able to safely work with Roger (her first choice) without hurting Montague's feelings. Whilst they used to never really converse much outside Potions when they were working together, when they switched potion classes they began to spend time together outside of classes. It wasn't too regularly as Vicki was very obsessed with Roger last year and wanted to spend as much time with him as possible, but every now and again when Roger was busy with Quiddich, she would spend one-on-one time with Montague.

Montague and Roger didn't get along very well. They were both very committed to Quiddich and both played the same position, Chaser. Usually Slytherin and Ravenclaw had an alliance, as the traditional rivalries were between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. But for some reason Roger really didn't like Montague. Vicki sometimes thought maybe it was due to the bond between her and Montague, but there were other guys Vicki spoke to from other houses (such as Cedric Diggory or Lee Jordan) whom Roger had no problem with. All Vicki could consider was that it was something as simple as a personality clash.

Vicki only sent him a small smile, not feeling in the mood to joke around.

"I can't believe what happened in Potions. Davies and Bridge are complete twats." Graham said to Vicki.

"Phillip Bridge is, that's for sure. Roger on other hand, is a pathetic sheep who can't function without approval." Vicki spat out suddenly.

"I know that all the girls think he's handsome and all that, but you're still so above his league. You're Victoria Hartwell, the most beautiful girl in the school. You also have so much more depth than he does. I hope you don't take what he says to heart, because I don't think he could ever do better than you." Graham said to Vicki, making sure to look her in the eye as he said it to show his sincerity.

If Vicki wasn't so upset (and trying her hardest to not let on to the world how much Roger's actions were cutting her up) she may have found it strange that Montague was being so sentimental and almost flirty to cheer her up. But instead she wasn't going to deny the compliment or think too much about it. It had come at the right time.

"I was disappointed you sat with Diggory in Potions. I thought we could perhaps work together in Potions for old times' sake?" Graham asked Vicki hopefully.

Vicki studied his face and bit her lip nervously. She got lucky last year and didn't have to easily let Montague down when she intended to ditch working with him but now there was no getting out of it. Even though she was very cross with Roger and his actions for today, she certainly did not want to break up with him. She was hoping for him to apologise and then both of them putting it behind them.

Therefore she didn't want to make any permanent plans of partnering with Montague again for potions. She liked Cedric's terms: 'as permanent or temporary as she'd like'. Vicki knew she had to let him down nicely.

"I'm not too sure what's happening with my Potions arrangement but I'll keep you updated. I however have Defence Against the Dark Arts next, do you want to sit together?" Vicki proposed, smiling brightly as she jumped up from the step she was sitting on.

"I have D.A.D.A tomorrow." Montague stated as his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Vicki could tell he was puzzled, but she could also see disappointment flash in his eyes.

"Sometimes if there's overwhelming popularity and if enough students achieve high enough grades in their O.W.L.s to continue the class, they have to open up more classes to meet the demand of students that are qualified to take them." Vicki explained to Montague as they slowly began to walk back into the castle.

"So hence why we're in different Defence Against the Dark Arts classes. Anything else they've doubled up on?" Montague asked Vicki curiously.

"I overheard Flitwick speaking to McGonagall, they both stated they're taking two lots of sixth years. So it seems there's doubles of Charms and Transfiguration." Vicki responded.

"How am I to know if we're in the same Charms and Transfiguration classes? We didn't get to compare schedules since you went to the loser table before you came to the best one." Montague joked loudly, sneering at a group of younger Gryffindors they happened to walk past who looked shocked at the outburst.

"You'll just have to wait in anticipation." Vicki grinned, giving Montague a quick hug as she bounded off, leaving him confused behind her at her lack of a proper goodbye.

Fred, George and Lee had just finished lunch and were standing around in the Entrance Hall eagerly waiting for class to start, for the first time in their life. They had heard many stories about Professor "Mad Eye" Moody from their father, and couldn't wait to see how many more may exist that their father had not dared to tell them.

The three girls on the Gryffindor Quiddich Team (Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnett and Angelina Johnson) spotted the three boys and walked over to join them, as they had all finished their lunch and also were waiting for their next class. They all began to idly chit-chat about how the first day of class was going. Katie, who was a year below the rest and was whinging about the classes she was forced to take with the Slytherins during her O.W.L. year, ran out of steam, so the two older girls began to speak about their day.

"You should have seen what happened between Victoria Hartwell, Roger Davies and Phillip Bridge during potions. Those two guys are such pigs." Angelina stated.

The three boys whipped their heads to Angelina suddenly. George and Lee wanted to know the gossip but also knew about Fred's obsession with the girl.

"What happened?" George spoke up, as his twin was too afraid of looking too eager.

Angelina's Potions partner, Alicia spoke up.

"Davies and Bridge kept going on about how Hartwell is a clingy girlfriend, or something. They're both two beautiful people, it's hard to decide whether Davies is lucky to have such a pretty girlfriend and should get over it, or if Hartwell is actually too clingy because she's scored such a stud." Alicia giggled, and Katie joined in.

Lee and George cast sidewards looks towards Fred, who had silently balled his hands into fists. It annoyed him that Roger Davies had the girl of his dreams and treated her so badly. It annoyed him that Davies' friends would egg him on in treating such a great girl so badly. It also annoyed him that he couldn't speak up and tell the girls off for what they were saying, and defend Vicki without it becoming obvious on why he was doing so.

Angelina, who hadn't joined in with the giggling, shushed the girls and nodded her head towards the Entrance Hall where Vicki Hartwell was walking along, joined with Graham Montague.

Fred's second fist balled up. He wasn't a fan of many Slytherins, but Montague was one of the ones he hated the most. He played dirty on the Quiddich pitch and had gotten into a few verbal arguments with both himself and George in class and once in the corridors. Fred had seen Vicki with Montague a few times the previous year and knew they were on good terms. But it was when he had a small crush on Vicki. Now it had been confirmed his crush was an obsession, it bothered him to see Vicki with Montague even more than she was with her boyfriend.

The entire group watched as Victoria hugged Montague goodbye with curiousity. When Montague turned around they barely made any attempt at hiding what they were doing. Montague sneered 'what are you looking at?' before he stormed off into the opposite direction.

"Ew. I may not know Hartwell very well, but I hope for her sake she doesn't end up with Graham Montague." Alicia stated loudly.

"Maybe she'll stay with Davies." Fred spoke up, saying the first thing that had come to his head. He realised he had been uncharacteristically quiet the entire conversation, and wanted to contribute something.

"Or maybe she won't." George stated out loud, sending a sly wink to his brother.

The first warning bell went off, and all of them except the younger Katie Bell began to make their way to their Defence Against the Dark Arts class.

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 **Authors note: forgot to say, huge thanks to Malec27 for reviewing, this one goes out to you!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Wow I have reviews! Thank you so much to Sissybuddy, xArchMage and Lelleg for reviewing - I rushed this one out for you guys. I think Roger is a massive jerk too! I'm just remembering the boyfriends my friends and I had at 16, they were all such losers!**

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It had taken until the afternoon for Roger to even speak to Vicki. Sure enough, as she headed to Defence Against the Dark Arts, she saw Roger approach her and begin to attempt to speak with her.

"Hey Vicki, look..." he began, as he awkwardly rubbed his neck with his one free hand, the other carrying his books.

Vicki only looked at him for a moment before continuing towards the classroom.

"I'm sorry things got out of hand." Roger stated.

This struck a chord with Vicki. Vicki was annoyed at how casual and unapologetic he sounded. She stopped in her tracks and began to sarcastically laugh at him. It was all she could do, she was too angry to do anything else.

Fred was just about to walk into the classroom behind George and Lee when he heard the sarcastic laughter. Lee had already gone into the classroom but Fred pulled his twin back and nodded his head to a few metres away where Vicki and Roger were finally having it out.

"You're sorry things went that way, huh? So you're not sorry you couldn't tell me before Potions you want to work with Phillip, you're not sorry you let him humiliate me in front of the entire class? That's what you should be sorry about!" Vicki exploded, her voice wavering by the end as tears threatened to spill.

Fred who was moved by her upset reaction went to go intervene but George held him back. This had nothing to do with Fred, no matter his feelings for the girl involved. This was only between Roger and Vicki. Fred had no business getting involved, and any motions to jump in would be unwelcome by both parties.

"Well, I don't think you're clingy. But we do spend a lot of time together, so I can see what Phillip is trying to say." Roger casually stated, angering Vicki even further. Roger winced as he anticipated that his girlfriend would explode the moment the words left his mouth.

"That didn't seem to be a problem last night when you wanted me to sneak into your dorm so we could fool around! I spent the whole night with you" Vicki shouted at him, making a few people around them stop for a moment to snicker at the private information Vicki was yelling before they continued on.

Rather than being embarrassed about this Roger grinned and winked at the pass-byers, in a way to show them all he was bragging about his conquest.

However it was as he did this that Vicki looked around and noticed the two twins near the classroom entrance. They were about to quickly go into the classroom to pretend they hadn't been listening into the couple's spat. Vicki was too quick for them, as she ditched a very confused Roger and ran to them. They were surprised when she wasn't angry, but smiling.

"Do you guys reckon I could sit with you?" She asked, feeling a little awkward as she did, refraining from biting her lip as she didn't want them to know how uncomfortable she felt.

"Oh I don't know Fred, what do you think?" George slyly asked Fred, a big grin spread across his face.

"What's in it for us?" Fred asked, mirroring George's playful coy behaviour.

Vicki's nerves melted away upon hearing this. Whilst it maybe should have made her feel more anxious that the two were pretending to be hesitant, she now knew the twins well enough to know that they were just messing around. She knew exactly how to handle them.

"I'd offer you my soul, but it's probably not a good one, it's a bit rubbish. So I'll just offer my company, I promise to make this the most kick-arse class ever." Vicki smiled at the two.

The group headed into the classroom. Lee had saved a bench table with four chairs second from the front which was now convenient as a fourth person (Vicki) had joined them. George took the seat next to Lee. Vicki sat at the end next to Fred, so Fred could sit next to his twin.

When she was seated she took a good look around the classroom. She noticed Roger was looking in her direction behind her, and he had chosen to sit with Cedric Diggory and his friends. Vicki gave a small wave and a smile to Cedric who returned it, but she completely ignored Roger when she turned away.

She then looked towards the front. The second bell (which signalled the official start of class) had previously rung just as her group had taken their seats. There was still no sign of Moody. Whilst some of her fondest memories of primary school were the semi-regular times a teacher would be running late and she got to stay outside and play longer, it never happened at Hogwarts. Teachers were always early, always standing at the front of the classroom as the students arrived. It was very strange that Professor Moody was late.

She wasn't the only one who noticed. A few students around her were muttering the same thing, coming up with wild ideas and theories about where Moody was and why he was late.

A few moments later Moody burst out of his office. He took a long swig from his flask as he descended down the staircase from his office into the classroom. He paused at the bottom of the staircase and peered at all of the students with his good eye squinted, the mechanical one was rolling all over his head. Vicki noticed she wasn't the only one in the classroom to shudder at his appearance. It was even more ghastly up close, the scar tissue all over his face being very prominent.

"Take a look to the person at your left. Then take a look to the person on your right." Moody gruffly said to his students.

Whilst a few students eyed those sitting next to them, no one took his request seriously.

"That wasn't just a line. I want you all to do as I say. Look at the person on your left, then look at the person on your right." Moody spoke up, a bit of a growl in his voice as he became even more firm.

This time, the students did as he said. Fred firstly looked towards his right and made a comment to George that he was the better looking twin. George said a cheeky rebuttal, and then he turned to the girl on his left. Vicki was staring at him, and she gave him a nervous looking smile as she did.

"Hello." Vicki said as she stared into his eyes. She noticed they were a unique sort of brown, rather than the usual chocolate brown a lot of people had they were a bit lighter, and his playful nature ran deep enough through his whole persona to be obvious in his eyes.

"Hi." Fred grinned back. He could feel Vicki was really staring at him, most likely in a way she had never done so before. He couldn't help but to grin. He was having some sort of moment with her, and he couldn't be any happier.

A few seconds later she whipped her eyes back to the front, and Fred followed suite.

"It's very important to keep an eye on your surroundings when you're faced with dangerous situations. Keep in mind who is with you. Get to know the witches and wizards you're constantly around. You never know who can turn on you. Constant vigilance." Moody darkly announced.

Vicki furrowed her eyebrows. She wasn't disagreeing with what he was saying, but she had never heard a teacher speak so gloomily before. It seemed Moody was going to teach more than just textbook spells, and that's most likely what this subject needed.

"Therefore I'm going to restrict seating. The people you are sitting next to will be the people you will be sitting next to in all of my classes for the foreseeable future. Gives you a chance to know your neighbour, and you'll constantly be aware of your surroundings." Moody stated.

Fred held back a smile. Moody was now officially his favourite teacher. He had prompted some kind of (small) special moment with his obsession and had now made it where she would be sitting next to him every class. He was beyond ecstatic.

He looked over to Vicki to see if the seating plan bothered her, but instead she looked fairly happy too.

"What did I tell you?" Vicki smiled "I promised you I'd make this the best class ever."

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The class seemed to go by fairly quickly as Moody reflected on his career and taught some quick spells to the students. He mentioned he'd start covering the Unforgivable Curses in his next subject.

This is something sixth years were looking forward to. It wasn't until sixth that the ministry deem students mature enough to handle them, so that's what was in the ministry approved coursework. Vicki learned from a few older students in the past that apparently a lot of it was theory based learned from the textbooks, with the only practical part of the course was learning possible counter spells that helped.

Professor Moody on the other hand said he was going to show his class "absolutely everything" and also stated he didn't give two hoots what the ministry said, he was going to teach fourth and fifth years the same.

Every student held onto his every word and they all were a bit disappointed when the bell rang. There were no options to even ask Moody any questions. As soon as the bell rang he gruffly said goodbye to his students, took a swig from his hipflask and limped out of the classroom.

"That was such a good class." Fred said to Vicki as they began to pack up their books. He packed his up a lot slower than usual, hoping to have another good conversation with her.

George and Lee could see what he was doing. Lee eyed Roger nervously as he saw that Roger had his eyes on their group before Roger began to shuffle out of the classroom. If anything were to ever happen between Fred and Vicki, Lee was hoping Roger would still be friendly towards him, but Lee would always put Fred first. Roger was a good friend. Fred was a best friend.

"Hey, slowpoke. We'll meet you at dinner, you're moving too slowly." George teased his twin, but sent him a wink when Vicki wasn't looking as he bounced out the door with Lee.

"Sorry that I'm kind of going slowly myself. I just really don't want to go to dinner. I know a few people have been speaking about Roger and I all day, I feel like I'm going to get the brunt of it at dinner tonight." Vicki weakly smiled.

Fred could only imitate her smile and quickly change the topic as he waited for Vicki to collect her belongings. He knew she was most likely right, they were the golden couple of Hogwarts, and so any serious rifts between the two would be hot gossip for the entire school. He didn't want her to feel bad though, so he kept his mouth shut. He worked out in his head that hopefully tonight in the Common Room he might be able to work with George and Lee to figure out something that might cheer her up the next day, as they had Transfiguration together, and hopefully she would sit with him.

They made small talk as they walked down to the Great Hall together. Fred realised this was his first time with Vicki where it was just the two of them, and he really enjoyed her company. It was like during the World Cup before the attack happened, she would genuinely laugh at his jokes, and offered good contributions to the conversation. He had been so focused on his obsession with her, he forgot that one of the main factors was how much he enjoyed speaking with her.

As he bid goodbye to her and they made their way to their respective house tables he felt after a small amount of time together, he could start to let go of the creepy 'obsession' with her, and focus on being a part of her life and most importantly, being her friend. He knew one day when the time was right he might be able to win her over but for now he was happy to be friends. It wasn't an 'off' switch, but he would start to obsess less.

Vicki took her seat the Ravenclaw table and piled her plate with food. If she could stuff her face with food she wouldn't have to talk to anyone. She saw most people at the table gossiping to one another and rolled her eyes, stuffing some steamed vegetables into her mouth.

"I can't believe that happened. I've always thought that Malfoy kid was a spoilt brat, always prattling on my father this, my father that. We're in a different house in a different year, not in the same friendship group and I still know that." Stephanie giggled as she moved away from her other dorm mates down the table and sat next to Vicki, her plate in her hand.

"What happened? I only just got back from Defence Against the Dark Arts." Vicki asked curiously.

Steph sent Vicki a smile before she continued to explain.

"That Malfoy kid and Potter got into an altercation. He actually insulted Molly Weasley, and then Potter said something about Malfoy's mother back." Steph started to explain.

Vicki diverted her eyes to the Gryffindor table. She saw the twins and Lee had taken a seat next to their youngest brother Ron and Harry Potter and they were all speaking in an excited manner. Rage flowed through her veins as she saw how happy they looked. The twins were the type of people to do anything to bring a smile to other people's faces. She didn't know Ron very well but he didn't seem like a nasty kid. She also liked the youngest of the clan, Ginny. How could some insecure kid say nasty things about their mother purely to spite them?

"Whatever. Malfoy's family are like, inbred, that's what those old family pure blood people do. They're fucked in the head." Vicki hissed lowly. She was mad, but she didn't want to wage war on a powerful family over a few stupid words.

Vicki took another look at the twins who had their wands out and were using spells to send out sparks along their table. There was no point breaking the peace, they seemed to be happy despite what had happened. As much as the rage flowing through her wanted to march over to the Slytherin table and give the stupid kid a piece of her mind, she knew it wasn't worth it.

"Yeah well, long story short it ended with Moody rushing over and turning Malfoy into a ferret. It was great. Little git deserves it." Stephanie explained.

Vicki let out a hearty chuckle as the anger melted away. She was glad Malfoy got his just desserts. It also dawned on her that it was new gossip. As she looked throughout the hall she saw people gossiping together, pointing towards the Slytherin table. Her and Roger's lovers spat was officially old news. Whatever was to happen between them would happen in peace, for now.

"Exactly." Steph grinned as her clever Ravenclaw brain understood Vicki's thoughts, bringing up her glass of pumpkin juice to clink with Vicki's glass.

"Cheers!" Vicki merrily called out.

After dinner Vicki decided to head to the library to get a start on some homework. She didn't have too much to do but homework had a way of easily getting out of hand with no warning. If Vicki could keep on top of it now, she had a better chance of keeping on top for the rest of the year.

After collecting all of the references for a potions essay and mapping out what each paragraph would consist of, she closed her book to see Roger standing over her, Phillip Bridge next to him.

Vicki wanted to say something rude and snappy along the lines of 'what do you want?' but found herself choked up. She then chose to remain silent but slightly raised an eyebrow at the two.

"Phillip has something he wants to say to you." Roger awkwardly stated, doing his nervous tick of rubbing the back of his neck as he had done when he tried to speak to Vicki earlier.

"Yeah. Sorry. You're not clingy." Phillip stiffly stated with no sincerity in his apology at all. It was made obvious his apology had been forced by Roger.

Vicki only let out a small 'okay' as she turned to Roger.

"I'm sorry too. I should have at least let you know I wanted to sit with Phillip during potions. I also should have corrected him when he said you were clingy." Roger apologised.

Vicki looked up into his eyes and studied his facial expressions. He meant what he was saying. Whether he was sorry for his actions or sorry his actions caused consequences was still to be determined, but right now Vicki knew his apology was genuine. It was a step in the right direction. It gave Vicki more strength as some of the power in the situation was given to her.

"Alrighty. Well. Very convenient that you've chosen to do this in the library with next to no one around," Vicki started as she pointed to the empty tables around her, only one was occupied by the fourth year Granger girl "So you can either apologise to me in front of everyone tomorrow, or you can go around telling everyone you've apologised."

Phillip let out a low growl as he was not impressed with Vicki's proposal. Roger on the other hand could sense the animosity growing from Phillip and decided it was best to pull Phillip away.

"Okay. I understand. I'm going to go back to the common room now and reflect on the days events. I'll speak to you later." Roger stated, giving an awkward wave as he turned around and began to leave the library.

Phillip was hot on his heels, not even bothering to say anything to Vicki, giving her a quick blank stare as he followed Roger out.

Vicki smiled to herself. She now felt a lot better on how the day unfolded.


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry this story is pretty slow moving but I'm trying to make all interactions and feelings develop as organically as possible. When I was younger and wrote fanfiction I used to make characters get together in the first or second chapter and urgh, it wasn't pretty.**

 **Shoutout to I Am Saiko for their lovely review!**

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Even though Roger had apologised to Vicki the night before, he didn't take her up on her offer to apologise to her in front of everyone the next morning at breakfast. In fact, he wasn't at breakfast at all. Vicki did not even realise this, as she sat with her dorm mates and ate porridge at the Ravenclaw table. They had all stayed up late to hear Vicki's story about how Roger and Phillip coming to the library to apologise, and they were dying to know how the story would end.

As she scraped the last of the porridge from her bowl and drank the last of a coffee she had cleverly turned from water (as Hogwarts did not serve coffee) she felt two hands on her shoulder. She turned around expecting to see Roger standing behind her but instead she saw a smiling Graham Montague instead.

"Oh, hey there. What's up?" Vicki asked him, trying to not show how disappointed it wasn't who she hoped it would be.

Her best friend Stephanie also turned around, but instead of being disappointed she was the opposite, quite excited.

"When did you get hot, Montague?" Stephanie gushed, her eyes opening in shock.

Vicki looked between Steph and Graham and raised her eyebrows. Did they have some kind of thing going on? What about Stebbins?

Graham on the other hand felt uncomfortable, and showed it by awkwardly scratching his arm. He cast a sultry look to the girl he had been trying to impress, Vicki, and she sent him an innocent smile back.

"It's too bad I'm with Kyle Stebbins though. Actually, I promised him a quick snog before class so I'll see you both later." Stephanie winked in an excited manner, before she jumped up from her seat and stalked over to the Hufflepuff table.

Vicki used the few silent moments to look at Graham to see what Steph had seen. She cocked her head and Graham watched her staring at him, making him smile. She took in his appearance. Vicki knew he had lost a lot of weight over the past couple of years after he had joined the Slytherin Quiddich Team but she had never considered exactly how much – she thought he just looked slimmer, but today she noticed how broad his shoulders were and how bulky his arms were in his uniform with his sleeves rolled up. She also noticed how the fat from his face had disappeared and instead remained quite a firm jaw.

"Fawcett is right, you've come quite a long way since the fumbling boy I used to work with in potions." Vicki smiled, deciding to pay Graham a compliment for his hard work.

"I would say the same about you Miss Hartwell, but you already know how gorgeous you are." Graham stated, a sly smile on his face as he squatted down to lightly brush Vicki's arm.

Vicki bit her lip and smiled, not being able to hold it back. She immediately knew what her and Graham Montague were doing, they were flirting. Vicki had little experience in flirting. She and her muggle friend Sarah had flirted with some muggle boys not last summer but the one before to get them to buy alcohol just before Vicki had gotten with Roger. However once Vicki was with Roger that was it, she had never even looked at a different boy. Until now.

She was enjoying the attention from Graham immensely. She enjoyed his deep brown eyes burrowing into hers, his charming smile fixated on her, his bulging arm touching hers. For the first time in a long time Roger was not on her thoughts. One simple comment from Stephanie and it was like a whole new world had just been unlocked. She had been so transfixed on Roger for so long that it hadn't occurred to her there was a whole world full of other boys. Maybe later she would speak with Roger and tell him he need not apologise, but they need not continue their relationship. Maybe everything had happened for a reason.

As Vicki's thoughts were racing through her head she was quiet for a while. In her silence, Graham spoke up.

"You don't happen to have Charms now do you? Perhaps we could have a chat…" Graham propositioned, raising his eyebrows towards Vicki.

"Sorry, Transfiguration." Vicki shrugged, but sent a smile towards him so it didn't seem too harsh.

"Who are you going to be sitting next to in that class? Not Davies I hope, or any other boy that might steal your heart." Graham asked her curiously, tightening his grip on her arm sub consciously.

Vicki's smile faltered a little. She didn't like Graham's attitude or protectiveness of her over a few flirtatious words exchanged. Roger was still her boyfriend, they had not yet broken up. She therefore had every right to sit next to him, or anyone she wanted to, even if they happened to be male.

These thoughts snapped her out of her brief trance. In an instant, she went back to her old self. She couldn't believe she was sitting there flirting with Montague. She had a perfectly good boyfriend ready to work things out with her, one she loved very much. She suddenly had a huge craving for Roger. They were the Hogwarts dream couple after all.

"Roger's in a different Transfiguration class. I'm going to sit next to Fred Weasley. Just the two of us." Vicki smiled, being annoyed with Montague made her slip out exactly what she knew he didn't want to hear, but it was the truth, she wanted to sit next to Fred.

Fred's head snapped up as he heard his name across the hall. He had not stared at Vicki once since he swore off his obsession but even with the Hufflepuff table separating the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw table he heard Vicki speak his name. He noticed she was staring directly at him and she gave him a small wave, one which he returned. He also noticed a scowl on Montague's face and it made Fred grin as he nudged both his twin and Lee and nodded his head towards the two.

"Man, I hate Slytherins." Lee Jordan whined out loud, making a few of his fellow Gryffindors around laugh at his outburst.

"You know what I love though? The fact a Slytherin is flirting with Vicki but she mentions my name, making the Slytherin send me dirty looks." Fred stated proudly, as he decided to keep paying attention to what was going on two tables down.

Vicki noticed Graham shoot filthy looks to the Gryffindor table and then turn back to her, clearly in a bad mood. Vicki crossed her arms defensively. She didn't appreciate his attitude, and wanted to end the conversation. She knew he might be having a bad day and didn't want to start drama with one of her oldest friends, but she wanted to leave him be.

"Since when were you good friends with those annoying Weasley twins? I've never even seen you mutter a word to them." Graham asked her curiously.

It was after he started paying attention when Fred realised what was happening. He saw Vicki had her arms crossed and had slid across her seat to distance herself from Montague. Her body language showed she wasn't too happy with him.

Montague's body language showed he wasn't happy with her either. He was towering over her with a scowl. He could see Montague was most likely being unreasonable in what conversation they were having and without even thinking about it he picked up his books and went over to the Ravenclaw table, not even bothering to say goodbye to George and Lee who were left gaping behind him.

"Hi Vicki, shall we head off to Transfiguration?" Fred asked, cutting off Montague with whatever he had to say.

"Yes!" Vicki squealed loudly as she quickly stood up, grabbing her book bag and stepped over the bench seat so she was standing next to Fred.

If looks could kill Fred would be six feet under, twice. Fred had never had any kind of good relationship with Montague, however Montague was sending him a scowl he had never seen before. He loved bouncing off the hate Slytherins held for Gryffindors so not only was Fred not too worried about this, it made him happy he had so effortlessly ruined the Slytherin's day.

"Come talk to me when you're not being so weird." Vicki stated towards Montague, sending him a weird look as she took Fred's outstretched arm and they left the Great Hall together.

They were so wrapped up in laughing at Montague's confusion they didn't notice that they directly passed Roger, who was arriving at breakfast late. He had not witnessed any of Montague and Vicki's flirting but he had seen what had gone down between Montague and Weasley.

Overcome with jealousy as he realised for the first time that he risked losing her to another suitable male, he quickly sought out every well known student who was susceptible to gossip and quickly informed them all he had delivered a heart felt apology to Vicki, and he was so sorry for his behaviour towards her.

He still didn't feel great as he sat down and ate the breakfast leftovers, but he knew it would get back to Vicki quickly enough and their relationship would live to see another day.

As Fred and Vicki had left breakfast fairly early, they had about fifteen minutes or so until Transfiguration would begin. Not wanting to get to class too early, Fred led her into a disused classroom.

"This classroom hasn't been used for decades. Not sure why, I think apparently the classroom itself rejects a lot of teachers from teaching within it. That's the rumour anyway." Fred explained, as he got his wand out and used it to blow dust off the desk as he took a seat on the desk.

"What do you mean rejects teachers from teaching in it?" Vicki asked curiously as she took a seat next to Fred on the desk, placing her feet on the chair below.

"Think if Peeves were a classroom." Fred explained.

Vicki shook her head and laughed. She felt she need not bother with a response as her actions indicated all she had to say.

There was a very brief silence between the two. Fred was almost in a panic. He wasn't sure whether he should bring up what just happened at breakfast and whether he owed her an apology or not for stepping in. As he couldn't decide what to do, he decided on something else. He had come up with a plan with his twin and best friend the previous night on how he could cheer up Vicki. Now was time to execute this plan.

"George and I developed sweets that change the colour of your tongue. Want to try one?" Fred asked as he pulled out some individually wrapped sweets from his pocket.

Vicki however didn't look too impressed at his invention as she shot him a sceptical look and asked "oh, like the muggle ones?"

"Yes we draw inspiration from those muggle ones to which we give credit. But these ones have magic involved which automatically make them better, watch." Fred proudly announced as he wasn't fazed by Vicki's comments one bit, as he unwrapped one of the sweets and put it into his mouth.

They sat in more silence but this time it wasn't an uncomfortable one. Even though Vicki hadn't seen the results she had changed her tune and instead was smiling in anticipation of Fred's invention. As Fred was sucking on the sweet he watched as Vicki studied him. He enjoyed it, he liked having an excuse to look at her pretty face. He may have let go of his obsession but admiring her pretty face when she was staring at him up close hardly counted.

"You ready?" Fred asked her, struggling to get the words out as he was concealing his tongue in his mouth.

Vicki nodded eagerly, she had gone from a sceptic to actually being excited for him to reveal the product.

Fred stuck his tongue out and Vicki leaned in to inspect it. Moments later she jumped back in surprise as sparks flew up, almost like miniature fireworks.

"Should have warned you about that part, sorry. That part is a work in progress, it's meant to resemble sparkling and fireworks, just to add a little surprise to it all." Fred explained sheepishly.

"Shut up and show me your tongue." Vicki laughed.

Fred chuckled and complied as he once again stuck out his tongue. Those were words he never thought he would hear from Victoria Hartwell.

Vicki then inspected his tongue. Unlike the muggle sweets which temporarily stain the top of the tongue a vague colour of the sweet, his whole tongue was a vivid bright red, as evidenced when he showed her the bottom as well.

"Do you want one? I've got a blue one for Ravenclaw." Fred offered her.

"I'll take it, but I'm not game enough to use it right before McGonagall's class. Good luck explaining that one to her." Vicki stated, taking the offered sweet and putting it into her skirt pocket.

They spent a few more minutes in the abandoned classroom before it was time for them to go to Transfiguration. Fred helped Vicki hop off the desk and they walked in together, finding a seat in one of the middle rows. Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow at the two but didn't say anything as the last of the students came in and she began her lesson.

She started with a few house keeping things, congratulated them all on achieving adequate O.W.L.S to keep taking her class but then immediately launched into a big lecture on how the "easy days were behind them" and how they had to start preparing straight away for N.E.W.T.S that would take place the next year.

She then demonstrated on the day's lesson: turning a broken lamp into a smooth ball. It was a rather pointless exercise Vicki thought – why a broken lamp and when would you need a smooth ball? But McGonagall explained transfigurating anything broken and mangled was a difficult task, making it into something so sleek was even harder. It was a hard task designed to help them with advanced Transfiguration.

"Yeah, I give up." Fred said to Vicki as he threw his wand down on the table angrily after a few failed attempts.

"At least you still have a broken lamp to turn into a ball. I now have a fixed lamp," Vicki responded giggling "Probably more useful than a ball at least."

"Oh look, it turns on and all." Fred said as he was amazed, switching the bright lamp on with a touch of his wand.

This bought the attention of Professor McGonagall, who made her way over to where Vicki and Fred were seated.

"Mr Weasley and Miss Hartwell. I'm not sure whether I should be pleased that Miss Hartwell's good influence may rub off onto you Mr Weasley, or whether I should be fearful your bad influence will tempt her." McGonagall stated, and Vicki wasn't sure where she was going with that statement but moments later Vicki could tell McGonagall wanted to smile, it was definitely an almost smile.

"Maybe we'll cancel each other out and be the most boring two students you'll ever meet." Fred joked loudly.

"One can hope, Mr Weasley. Miss Hartwell, can I see you after class?" Professor McGonagall asked Vicki before offering a few words of encouragement "The lamp is supposed to fix itself before it can be turned into a ball. You're on the right track."

Vicki furrowed her eyebrows as Fred turned to her expectedly. She had no idea why McGonagall had wanted to see her after class. It became a lot harder for Vicki to concentrate for the rest of the class but after many failed attempts she managed to complete the task, her lamp was no longer a lamp but a sphere that was smooth to touch when placed in her hand.

The bell rang and all of the students began to pack up. Vicki went a bit slower as she wanted to wait until the rest of the class had filed out before she went to see McGonagall.

"I have a spare next class, do you want me to hang around?" Fred asked.

Vicki was about to politely decline but she stopped herself. If he had a spare period it wasn't too rude for her to ask him to, as she had no idea what McGonagall wanted she realised it would be nice if she had someone to talk about it with.

"If you can walk and talk, as it looks like I'll already be late for Arithmancy. I'll meet you outside." Vicki responded.

Fred was about to make a snappy comment about how boring Arithmancy sounded but he decided against it, wanting to get out of Vicki's way so she could have her chat with the professor. He left the classroom and Vicki grabbed her book bag and stood in front of McGonagall.

"You wanted to see me, professor?" Vicki asked curiously.

"Yes. At breakfast today as I passed the Ravenclaw table, did I see you turn your water into coffee?" Professor McGonagall asked her.

"Y-yes." Vicki responded, stuttering in confusion. Turning water into other substances was something they learned in first year. Why was she asking about this?

"Then that's a fine piece of magic. It's easy to turn water into other forms of liquid, yes. But if it's something you can stand to consume, it must have been great spell work." McGonagall complimented, as if she were reading Vicki's mind.

"Thank you, professor. I started drinking coffee over the summer and I've become quite addicted to it. I can't function without it." Vicki responded cheerfully, mostly because she didn't know what else to say. Why did this warrant an after class meeting?

"I understand Miss Hartwell. Unfortunately though, coffee is a banned substance for students on school grounds. This is a rule Argus Filth very strongly petitioned Dumbledore for." McGonagall informed Vicki, and Vicki could see regret etched on McGonagall's face.

Vicki stuttered in confusion. Why was coffee not okay, but Butterbeer (with some alcoholic content although very small) was served to students as young as eleven at feasts? Vicki was also confused. She had never once been in trouble at this school, was she now in trouble for breaking a school rule? Was she about to get a detention?

"I-uh... sorry. I didn't know. So if coffee is banned on school premises that means I can't turn water into coffee into my dormitory or common room can I?" Vicki asked curiously.

"Unfortunately not, Miss Hartwell." McGonagall sadly responded.

"What about at Hogsmeade? Roger takes me to that awful, awful Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, can I drink coffee there?" Vicki went on to ask.

"Yes, that would be permitted. That is off school grounds. If you have any further questions about acceptable and non acceptable behaviour on school grounds I must direct you to ask Mr Filch, as I have a class of first years waiting outside that seem to be petrified by what Mr Weasley is telling them." McGonagall said.

Vicki turned around and saw Fred speaking to a group of first years and whatever they were hearing was scaring them, they had looks of terror on their faces.

"Right. Well, no more coffee. Got it. If that's all, I'll be leaving." Vicki mentioned as she jabbed her thumb into the direction of the door and took a few steps backwards. When McGonagall did not respond Vicki assumed it was safe to leave and she turned around and headed out the door.

Before Fred could get a word in, she decided to get in first.

"Avoided a detention. Thank god. I don't fancy going into the forest late at night and slaying a dragon." Vicki loudly said to Fred in perfect earshot of the first years.

"They make you do that?" a first year Hufflepuff gasped in terror.

"Sure do. They make you do things they deem useful at Hogwarts for detention no matter how dangerous, I would know, I've had more detentions than hot dinners." Fred responded and Vicki could tell he was withholding laughter.

No more words needed to be exchanged as all the students were terrified and went quiet. Fred was incapable of speech himself as he had to control himself to not burst out laughing and instead pulled Vicki away by the arm. It was only when they were a safe distance away he let it all out and burst into laughter.

"Didn't think you had it in you to play a joke on first years." Fred laughed.

"I consider what I just did a Prefect's duty. They're now going to be so scared they will treat their teachers with respect and will behave. I just did a service to the school." Vicki proudly boasted, standing up higher for a mock effect.

"That's not why you did it though, was it?" Fred coyly asked, taking a side look towards Vicki.

"No, I must admit that wasn't my intention." Vicki giggled.

There was a very short silence between them as Vicki tried to recognise her surroundings so she could work out the best way to get to Arithmancy. It took her a few moments to work out the best route to take. When she calculated one she took off, with Fred following her.

Fred was hoping she would bring up what McGonagall had wanted to speak to her about as he was dying to know but didn't want to seem too nosey. Vicki knew he was curious and smirked to herself as she decided to purposely not say anything.

Finally when he realised Vicki would not tell him he decided to ask, as he couldn't take the curiousity anymore.

"So um, back in Transfiguration. What did Professor McGonagall want to talk to you about?" Fred asked her impatiently.

Vicki smiled as she stopped walking for a moment to face him. She knew she could have continued her little prank and either refused to tell him, or tell him something ridiculous and exaggerated. However she was already very late for class and didn't have the time or patience to pull something on Fred. She decided to tell the truth.

"Over summer I developed a coffee addiction. As they don't serve it to students I've been making it myself by turning my cup of water to coffee. Apparently that stupid Filch petitioned the school to not let students drink coffee, so she told me I'm not allowed to do it anymore." Vicki sulked as she began stamping her feet as she walked in annoyance.

Fred was about to tell her about the kitchens but stopped in his tracks for a moment as a perfect idea hit him. He'd have to speak to George about it first, but he had found a perfect opportunity. Perhaps he could help Vicki with her dilemma if Vicki was able to help with his current one.

"What's wrong? Are you coming, or should I say bye to you here?" Vicki asked as she turned around and saw Fred had gone still.

"Coming!" he called out, running to catch up with her.


	14. Chapter 14

**So I hate to cross-promote another one of my stories, but as it has the character from this story (Vicki Hartwell) I thought I'd give it a mention. After seeing "Fantastic Beasts" I decided to write a OCxNewt Scamander story, and thought I'd throw Tom Riddle to make a juicy love triangle. The basis of the story is that Vicki acquires her grandmother's journal from her school days and then the rest of the story is in her grandmother's point of view.**

 **One warning though is that it starts during Vicki's summer before seventh year so it's a tiny bit ahead of this story. There's no major spoilers but there are a few.**

* * *

Roger Davies was not happy when he arrived to Arithmancy and noticed Vicki was not present. He knew how passionate his girlfriend was about the subject, she was even offered to partake in the Advanced Arithmancy classes at N.E.W.T. level which she declined over summer. He felt even worse when Professor Vector began the class and pursed her lips when she called out Vicki's name on the roll and received no response. Maybe he had forced Vicki to drop out of the subject purely so she could get away from him. They had gone from fighting because he didn't want to work with her in potions to her actively avoiding him and not wanting to see him.

However, Roger was the most displeased a few minutes after class started. Professor Vector was speaking to the class with her back to the door when he noticed Vicki silently peer in and wince when Vicki realised how late she was. But she was not alone. A flash of red hair was visible and Roger immediately knew it would have been one of the Weasley twins accompanying her. He noticed that she gave her new friend a quick hug goodbye as she knocked on the door awkwardly and stepped in.

"Yes? Can I help you Miss Hartwell?" Professor Vector snapped at her, and Vicki gulped as she was caught a little off guard. Two strict teachers one after the other was bad enough, but Vector was now the second that was reprimanding her, and Vicki wasn't used to this.

"S-sorry. I just had Transfiguration and Professor McGonagall asked me to stay back to speak about something." Vicki stammered out truthfully.

"That might be so, but why were you with that Weasley boy, hm?" Professor Vector wickedly grinned, making Vicki squirm.

She hadn't even realised how bad it looked that she had arrived in the company of someone who had a spare class. She also didn't expect Vector to have noticed, but here she was caught red handed, even though she was actually telling the truth.

When Vicki hung her head and did not respond, Vector spoke up.

"I know this is the first time you've been late to my class since you started taking it in third year but unfortunately coming late to class is not acceptable, especially as a prefect. I'm going have to give you some form of punishment." Professor Vector stated briskly.

Vicki sighed and just nodded her head. Professor Vector was probably the strictest out of all her teachers. Although McGonagall was a strict teacher, Vicki felt like it worked for her and there was something still likeable about her. She was also known as "firm but fair". Vector on the other hand was hard on her students and never seemed to relent. A lot of people didn't take the class due to how unfriendly Vector seemed, and the students who did dare to take the class weren't big fans of the teacher. Vicki had never had a big problem with Vector's teaching style as it was required to give students a big push in this subject, well, she had no problems with her until today. Even McGonagall would have relented if it were revealed a prefect was late due to having a few words with another teacher after class.

Although she felt this was unfair she did not speak up in protest. Vector was going to punish her anyway. It was either accept a small punishment now or create a scene and most likely end up with a bigger one.

"I'll even give you a choice, how about that?" Vector asked as if she were doing Vicki a favour "You can either choose to lose five points from Ravenclaw or you can complete extra homework due in two days."

Every Ravenclaw head shoot up at this revelation, and Arithmancy was mostly a Ravenclaw subject. Vicki had never lost a single point for Ravenclaw in her time at Hogwarts, she only gained them. She did not want to start losing points now and making all of her peers in her house hate her.

"I'd like to take the extra homework, please. I guess it doesn't hurt to get a head start at the start of the year to ensure I don't fall behind." Vicki decided out loudly.

Vector's lips thinned and Vicki couldn't tell whether she was pursing them out of anger or was trying to suppress a smile.

"Your enthusiasm would usually be commendable in other circumstances, but not when you've walked in late and have to do it as punishment. Now you may sit down so I can go back to teaching." Professor Vector stated.

Vicki only sent a curt nod. The classroom was only half full as Arithmancy was not a popular subject. Even with lots of choices she scuttled next to Roger. She felt ashamed and weak, and wanted to sit next to somewhere she felt safe and comfortable. At the moment that was next to Roger.

He smiled wildly as he grabbed her hand under the desk. She gave him a squeeze back and she sent a smile his way before she let go. She would have loved to have kept holding his hand, but she was fearful Vector would catch the two and dish out a harsher punishment to Vicki.

The class seemed to drag on. Vicki had been scribbling away taking as many notes as possible when the bell finally rang. Vector called out the homework to her students (and also made sure to mention to Vicki she had to do double the amount of problems as everyone else) and the students all scurried away from the classroom, wanting to get away from Vector.

"On behalf of the Ravenclaw house, I want to thank you for taking the homework instead of the points lost." Roger joked as the two began to walk to the Charms classroom.

"Oh, shut up, I'm a prefect too, I'll thank myself later. Besides, how are we supposed to beat Gryffindor this year. Every point counts." Vicki responded, feigning annoyance but instead she was giggling towards Roger as they walked side by side.

"It's so annoying. First Slytherin couldn't give anyone a break but now it's Gryffindor every year with the most house points. I hope in the upcoming Triwizard Tournament this house champion is from Ravenclaw but even if it's a Hufflepuff I'll be satisfied." Roger agreed.

They began to make idle chit-chat as they made their way to charms. Professor Flitwick was her favourite teacher. As their head of house he had a big soft spot for his Ravenclaw students but he was still a nice teacher to all of the students, no matter what house they were in.

Vicki could have walked into his class half an hour late with no explanation and he wouldn't have bat an eyelid as long as it didn't happen regularly. However Vicki was still a bit shaken by what happened with Vector and definitely wanted to arrive on time.

Roger and Vicki continued to chat as they walked into the charms classroom. Without even thinking, Vicki followed Roger to his seat and placed her books down, taking the seat next to Cedric that Roger had purposely sat close to, as he anticipated their close circle of friends (the 'popular group') would sit around Cedric.

"Hey Vicki," Cedric greeted brightly, and Vicki swore she could see his enthusiasm drop but then he attempted to pick it up again "Hi Roger. Have you two made up? I've heard you both have."

"Sure have." Roger answered as he gave his girlfriend a peck on her cheek, making her smile.

Cedric and Vicki began to briefly chat about their potions homework. Vicki mentioned she found it very challenging but had completed it. Cedric was only halfway through but was finding it easy enough.

Not too long before class was to start, Stephanie came bounding in.

"Switch. I want to sit next to Vicki." She barked at Roger.

Vicki only sent an apologetic smile to Cedric and slid her books down, letting Roger pick up his own and place them at the table she was just seated at as she slid in Roger's vacated seat.

On the other side of the classroom Fred and George were seated with Lee, as well as fellow Gryffindor Quidditch team members Alicia Spinnett and Angelina Johnson. Fred had taken a few quick glances at the large group but looked away quickly when he noticed each time that Vicki had not even acknowledged his presence.

"It's the first time I've seen that lot together this year, knew it was only a matter of time before they came together again," Alicia stated in apparent disdain before taking a sarcastic tone "the cool kids"

"Some of them are alright." Lee shrugged as he took out his Charms textbook.

Fred once again couldn't bring himself to verbally defend Vicki to Alicia. This time it wasn't because he was afraid he would look too eager. This time it was due to the fact that once again it appeared Vicki had forgiven Roger based on the two stealing kisses from each other.

He did feel a bit better however when Vicki noticed for the first time he was in the classroom. He was expecting a smile and a wave, but instead what he got was so much better.

"Hey Fred, George and Lee!" She shouted loudly and gave an enthusiastic wave.

Fred laughed and gave her a wave back, happy to see Roger's scowl when she gave attention to the twins.

"D'you think we should approach Vicki about our proposal after class, or should we do it another time?" George quietly asked Fred when Lee was submerged into a conversation with the two girls.

"I think we should approach her when she needs it the most." Fred smirked.

* * *

The next morning Vicki arose yawning. She had stayed up fairly late in the Ravenclaw common room with Roger and a few of their friends. She had refused to spend the night with him despite his constant begging. Therefore she was up quite late and felt very groggy. She looked at a clock she had put on top of her wooden bedside tables and realised if she got up now, she'd have time to dash to the prefect's bathroom and have a quick shower to wake herself up before breakfast.

She bundled her school uniform in her arms and crept out away from the rest of her sleeping dorm mates and made her way into the common room.

Even though it was fairly early there were already a few Ravenclaws up and dressed. A few were lounging around chatting with their friends whilst a few others were scribbling away at homework. Vicki for a moment wondered why people would voluntarily get up early but then scampered out when she realised she was one of those crazy people.

Although the Common Room had a few people, the school corridors were fairly empty. Students (aside from prefects and those with permission) were forbidden from being out of their common rooms between the hours of six o' clock in the morning and nine o' clock in the evening. Although it was now past six the school was deserted as the school didn't start serving breakfast until seven thirty and even then no one really went down until eight.

"Hey, Vicki." Vicki heard behind her.

She winced as she hadn't spoken to this person since their confrontation a few days ago and although she was far from angry, she felt awkward about it and didn't know what to say.

The lack of sleep also didn't help, as well as the fact she felt insecure being seen in her silly pink and black pyjamas with bed hair and no makeup.

"I'm surprised you recognised me like this." Vicki joked.

"Of course. You still look great," Graham Montague stated but then cleared his throat awkwardly "So, how have you been?"

"Yeah... I've been good. Classes are busy. I got told off by Vector the other day straight after I received a warning from McGonagall about something else. It was strange." Vicki responded as she felt the awkward feeling begin to melt away.

"Wish I was there, sounds like a laugh. Anyway, sorry about the other day. I'm terrible at apologies but I really am sorry. It's just been hard, I was meant to take over the Slytherin captaincy this year for Quiddich and I guess my stress and bad moods got the best of me. I'm sorry." Graham said to Vicki, doing his best to look at her in her eyes to show how sincere he was being.

Vicki smiled slightly at her friend as she started to feel a little bad. She hadn't considered how upsetting the cancellation of Quiddich would have been on her friends. She almost thought it was funny as far as Roger was concerned as she had been mad at him for majority of the week. Fred and George Weasley as well as Cedric Diggory had been in good spirits about it due to the Triwizard Tournament taking its place. She had forgotten that some players may still be unhappy despite the tournament and she was glad that Graham was comfortable enough to share these deep thoughts with her.

"Hey, no biggie. Old news, right?" Vicki smiled pleasantly at him.

"Great. Well I'd love to speak with you properly but I need to run. Come seek me out today, we'll hang out." Graham said in an excited manner to Vicki as he happily bounced off into the other direction.

Vicki shook her head and laughed as she gave the password to get into the prefect's bathroom. She absolutely hated conflict and was really happy she was able to resolve the one she had going with Graham. Now she was on good terms with both Roger and now Graham she felt everything was back to normal in her life.

Vicki made the most of her time in the bathroom. Although she was dead tired she jumped into the humongous pool-sized bath and took advantage of all the luxurious perfumed products available. A few prefects came in and out during that time as it was a peak time (morning) for the bathroom, but Vicki always made sure she stayed clothed in the bath.

After getting out and putting her clothes on in a shower cubicle she used her wand to dry and straighten her hair. She then put on her makeup and left the bathroom looking fresh as a daisy. She still however felt a lot more tired than she looked and was cursing that she couldn't have a coffee, that was the one thing that would bring her up again.

After tying her Ravenclaw tie she decided it was time to head down to breakfast. It was a little earlier than when most students headed down, but there was nothing else to do in the mean time. Maybe her Daily Prophet subscription would be there for her and she could read that, if her owl Fez bought her mail to her early.

It was as she was walking down that she felt someone yank her into an empty classroom. She went to make a loud noise but a hand was clasped over her mouth. She went to fight her attacker but went still when she saw the two twins laughing at her. Fred, the one who had grabbed her, had let go once she had calmed down.

"Why on earth did you grab me like that? If you asked me to go with you I would have." Vicki giggled, not being too upset about her 'abduction'.

"Our way is more fun." Fred and George stated at the same time, giving a nonchalant shrug which Vicki wasn't sure whether it was done on purpose as part of the act or whether it came naturally to them.

"So, what's up anyway?" Vicki asked curiously.

"We're here to talk business." Fred responded to her.

"We believe there is a mutually beneficial arrangement that could be made." George added on.

Vicki didn't respond and only raised an eyebrow at the two twins. She wanted to play the part of a sceptic but she also had no idea how to respond. She was very amused at their antics but also a bit scared.

"What would we say if we could get you coffee." Fred asked her, a huge grin on his face.

"I would say 'good for you' in a sarcastic tone accompanied with a condescending pat on your shoulder. I can get my own coffee, the problem is that it's against school rules." Vicki responded to Fred.

"That's not our end of the deal. I believe it's only against school rules for students to make their own coffee. It's perfectly fine for students to consume it, should they be able to acquire it." George smirked mischievously.

"Sounds like a dodgy coffee drug deal," Vicki giggled "Surely you're not going to be doing this for cheap. What's your price?"

Fred and George looked at each other. Fred absolutely loved that Vicki was able to laugh along with them and bounce conversation off of them. He would find it hard to contain his obsession if she willingly agreed to get involved with one of their schemes, but considering she wasn't asking too many questions or reacting negatively, he could see she would most likely get involved.

"We need for you to write a letter." George said to Vicki.

"A letter? Please. I'd love to make a joke about your intelligence if you need me to write a letter but that's just cruel. What kind of letter? Letter of reccomendation? Do you need me to sneak a love letter to someone?" Vicki snorted.

"No!" Fred yelled almost defensively, his reaction even surprising his twin who jumped up in shock.

Fred clearly didn't want Vicki to think he was possibly involved with someone else. He knew it was silly as she was back together with Davies, but his 'no' came out automatically, he had no control over it. He sent one look to George, and decided to explain. There was no dancing around the issue, they would need to tell Vicki the full story to execute their plan.

"We need you to write to Bagman. He owes us a lot of money. We bet all of our savings onto the Quiddich World Cup and we won. However he only handed us Leprechaun Gold so it disappeared a few hours later." Fred explained to Vicki, with George nodding along.

"That's terrible!" Vicki gasped "Do you think he did it on purpose or got the Leprechaun gold mixed up with real Galleons?"

"We thought it might have been an accident at the beginning-" George started.

"-but now considering he is ignoring our letters, we think it's more sinister." Fred finished.

"So what would I put in the letter?" Vicki asked curiously, making it clear to the twins she was ready to help with their scheme.

"We basically need you to be an ally. Write him back from that one you showed us on the train. Get on his good side." Fred responded.

"Once you're on his good side we can go from there, maybe have you interrogate him on our behalf. It should be an easy task for you, he seems to have a bit of a soft spot for you." George added on.

"A bit of a soft spot? The pervert couldn't stop drooling all over her and tried to take advantage at the Cup. Creep." Fred snorted, but then nervously eyed Vicki as he was afraid of her reaction to his statement.

"Exactly. Oh, I'm definitely in. You suckers shouldn't have offered me the coffee card because I would have agreed to mess with Bagman for free. But too late, get me my fix." Vicki joked, holding out an arm for each twin to take.

Both of them grinned at each other as they linked arms with Vicki and headed out of the classroom. Both of the twins were over the moon that Vicki would be getting involved in their schemes.


	15. Chapter 15

Both the twins and Vicki greeted a few people as they headed down to where the twins were going to take Vicki. Vicki had no idea where they were headed to, she found herself enjoying the adventure. The twins had escorted her down past the Great Hall, they were going further down. They went down a stair case and wound up next to a painting of a pear.

Vicki didn't say anything but instead shot a look towards the twins as she waited for them to explain. It was a game of chicken, they were all caught in a stand off. The twins were grinning whilst Vicki shot them confused looks.

"So uh, how does this painting give me coffee? I assume this is part of the great plan?" Vicki asked, the first one to speak up.

"It doesn't." Fred smugly responded.

"It's what behind it that does." George added on.

"Yes, okay." Vicki nodded, trying her best to not lose her patience and get annoyed as she knew that's exactly what the twins wanted, they were playing with her.

This time the twins relented and let Vicki win this round. Time was running thin before they had to go to their first lesson and also mainly because they needed Vicki for their favour, they didn't want to tease her too much and push her too far. Of course Fred also had his own reasons on why he didn't want to go into Victoria Hartwell's bad books.

"What we are about to show you is probably one of the most sacred places in Hogwarts-" George began.

"-So we're asking you to respect it." Fred finished.

"Please don't go around telling everyone about it, or it'll ruin it for everybody." George stated.

"As tempting as it is also, don't go using it every day. We don't want the teachers shutting down access to students if it becomes common knowledge students are coming and going every day." Fred added on.

"Well, alright then. I'm not even sure what lies behind this bloody painting of a pear, but whatever it is, I agree to your terms and conditions. Can I peak behind the painting now?" Vicki half-joked.

Fred couldn't help himself. Although secretly Vicki made him feel very unnaturally shy and nervous, he still had to be himself in public. He couldn't drop his pranking nature in front of her, or anyone else. So without thinking of the consequences he found himself flirting with Vicki before he could stop it.

As his twin George tickled the pear to gain access, Fred in an over-the-top obvious joking manner tickled Vicki by lightly touching her sides. He didn't do it for very long, just enough for her to burst into laughter and lightly push him away as she squirmed. When he finally realised what he was doing there was no time for regret. She had taken his affections well based on her giggles and he had also managed some skin-on-skin contact and an excuse to touch her. That was definitely a win in his books.

Just as Vicki straightened herself after swatting away Fred for the last time she watched as the pear disappeared and a green door knob took its place. George was closer than Fred who was by Vicki's side, so he grinned and opened the door and led the others inside.

The inside was something that Fred and George had seen many, many times but the sight was new to Vicki. She was completely in awe. She had never given the kitchens at Hogwarts much thought, but if she had to guess what it would look like she'd guess it would be like something at a commercial kitchen. Something with lots of stovetops, benchtops, ovens and hanging pots and pans with white tiles everywhere.

However Hogwarts was a school that was established in the middle ages and thus the kitchen was reflective of those medieval times. The room was massive, and almost a carbon copy of the Great Hall that was directly above. The four house tables were present, as well as the teachers table. There was also a high ceiling and some of the same lighting that the Great Hall had, with everything made of stone. There were a few differences. The handsome and striking decorations were missing and the kitchens looked a lot more basic. To the side there was also a kitchen preparation area, where lots of house elves were rushing around preparing breakfast for the students above.

Vicki's attention was transfixed on the ceiling. It was very plain and boring – it was made of cobblestone like the floor and barely stood out – with a simple chandelier hanging down as a big source of light.

"There's all these house elves scurrying around making every kind of food imaginable and you're occupied with a ceiling?" Fred snorted towards Vicki.

"This room was designed to be identical to the Great Hall, which is made really obvious. Without all of the decorations and additions, this is what the Great Hall would look like." Vicki explained.

"And?" George asked, looking up towards the ceiling but before either he or his twin could tease her further realisation dawned upon them both.

The roof upstairs was enchanted to look like the sky, but this one was in its boring original state. The Great Hall's ceiling had been bewitched since Hogwarts had opened to resemble the outside sky. Therefore if this room was created as a copy of the Great Hall upstairs, this is what the real ceiling of the Great Hall looked like – something that very few people over the years would have realised.

A moment of silence fell between the trio as they all stared at the ceiling in wonder. Vicki smiled as she put an arm around each twin and pulled them close to her.

"I take it you've been here a lot of times, but I'm glad we could all experience looking at the true Great Hall ceiling together." Vicki gleefully stated.

The two twins sent a big grin towards her, but Fred's was just a little bit larger than his twin's.

* * *

A few weeks had passed since the Weasley twins showed Vicki the kitchens, and a handful of times when she'd been up late completing homework she took advantage and grabbed a cup of coffee in the kitchens from the house elves before going to breakfast the next morning.

It was sometimes tempting for her to go a lot more regularly but she had promised the twins she wouldn't. She understood it wasn't sustainable to go every day – there would be a good chance a teacher would find out what she were doing and procedures would then be put in place to stop students from entering. It was also a bit of a hassle when she did go. All the house elves were already scurrying around preparing breakfast, she usually had to wait for her coffee and had to try her hardest to avoid being smacked into by an elf carrying a big plate of eggs. She also had to drink the coffee in the kitchen to avoid detection by teachers, which meant she either would burn her tongue when she drank it quickly or miss seeing her friends for breakfast and have to eat in the kitchens so she could finish her coffee.

She had also kept her promise to the twins about not revealing the kitchens to anybody – well, mostly. As the kitchens were close to the Hufflepuff common room (which Vicki only found out recently) she had run into Cedric a few times in the hall after leaving the kitchens. Without revealing the location of the kitchen or how to get in, she did admit exactly what she were doing.

Cedric and Victoria had grown to be fairly close friends over the past few weeks. They had always been friendly, especially as they belonged to the same friendship group and because their parents were friends. However now she spent more quality time with Cedric. Even though she and Roger hade made-up, she decided to continue working with Cedric during Potions. During prefect meetings they would always sit next to each other, and every time their big group of sixth year friends spent time together, Cedric and Vicki seemed to dominate the conversation. They also now did a lot of their prefect patrols together too, to the delight of Kelly the Head Girl and Paul the Head Boy, as Vicki and Roger were known to sometimes sneak off to snog when they were on patrol shift together.

The other person she had become very close with over the past few weeks was Fred Weasley. She had befriended both twins and she got along very nicely with George but as she spent a very big chunk of her time with Fred alone (due to the classes they shared but sometimes they would spend time together outside of lessons every now and again during a spare period) she was much closer to Fred.

It amused Vicki that perhaps the two people she was now closest with at school (aside of course her darling Roger) were nothing more than casual acquaintances a few months ago.

Roger had absolutely no problem with Vicki and Cedric becoming friends. Not only was he approving of Cedric being both a fellow prefect and a house Quiddich captain, but as he knew both Cedric and Vicki well he could easily tell their close friendship was nothing short of an innocent, platonic relationship.

Fred, on the other hand, was one that Roger wasn't too impressed with. He had voiced his concerns to Vicki, saying he didn't think it was appropriate for a prefect who had a really good chance of being Head Girl next year to be fraternising with the troublemaking Weasley twins. Vicki snapped at him every time he brought this up, so Roger eventually gave up and resorted to glaring at both twins when he could, and sometimes even bumping their shoulders when he passed them in the hallways. He wasn't able to tell the two twins apart when they were together, but he knew it was Fred that held feelings for his girlfriend based on their interactions when he was with Vicki.

When Vicki woke up on a Monday morning she had no idea just how much of a busy morning lay in front of her. She awoke in Roger's arms, she had spent the night in his dormitory with the curtains closed getting up to no good with him. She woke up a bit earlier than him and tried to wake him but he groaned and swatted her away. Some girls would have been annoyed by this but she thought it was cute and put her pyjama pants back on before going back to her dormitory.

Twenty minutes later she was heading down to the Great Hall by herself for breakfast. Roger still had yet to emerge from his dormitory and Steph had already headed down before Vicki had even gotten back to their dorm – she did this a lot of mornings so she could go see Stebbins – they were still going strong.

When Victoria got to the Entrance Hall it was hard for her to even get off the staircase, as there was a big sign erected at the bottom that a lot of people were congregating around. She initially planned to wait her turn to get close enough to read, but due to her status of both popularity and being a prefect people moved out of their way to let her through.

She read the sign – the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students would be arriving on the upcoming Friday. Students would be finishing their last lesson half an hour early to quickly store their bags and books and make themselves decent before coming down to the front of the castle to meet the guests.

"Better prepare ourselves for this. Us prefects are going to be given lots of tasks this week to prepare for this visit." Cedric stated out loud as he made his way to the front as well, giving Vicki a small smile.

Cedric's prediction came true very quickly. After making her way through the crowd and taking a seat the Ravenclaw table for breakfast, as soon as she put two pieces of toast onto her plate the Ravenclaw Head Boy – Paul Greene took a seat in front of Vicki.

"You know I'm not a prude, right? I agreed with Kelly to let the prefect pool parties be organised again." Paul opened with.

"No one is accusing you of being a prude, Paul. I don't know why you've taken a seat in front of me to ask me whether I think you're a prude or not." Vicki said sarcastically, taking a big bite of her toast.

Paul fidgeted a little with his blazer as he felt highly uncomfortable about what he was about to ask of Vicki – well, ask her to not do. He briefly reconsidered what he was about to request of her. He didn't mind Vicki, and he certainly didn't want to get on her bad side, she had a lot of friends in this school. But then he remembered he was Head Boy. Not only was the house of Ravenclaw's reputation at stake, but so was the school's. No one said being Head Boy would be easy, and this was an uncomfortable conversation he had to have.

"I saw you leaving the sixth year boy's dormitories this morning. Look, I know you've been doing this since last year and I have no problem with it. Unfortunately though all of the heads of houses, as well as Dumbledore as of this week are cracking down on student behaviour and rule breaking. It wouldn't look good to find out my sixth year female Ravenclaw prefect was sneaking into her boyfriend's dorm for some er, extra-curricular activities." Paul explained to Vicki in a hushed tone, sounding very awkward speaking about such a private matter with her.

Vicki was silent for a few moments. She didn't know whether she should be angry at his interference, be embarrassed about the sensitive topic or just give up and be reasonable and understand his point.

"So um… I guess you're saying you want me to stop going into Roger's dorm, right?" Vicki weakly asked, wanting to come to a complete resolution with Paul.

"Yes, effective immediately and indefinitely. You don't want Hogwarts to develop a terrible reputation should Beaubaxtons or Durmstrang get wind of the fact we tolerate girls sneaking into dorms." Paul stated, and his eyes widened as he noticed Vicki's calm demeanour change as her face screwed up in anger.

"Understood. You can go now though, you're dismissed. But just know there's a reason those spells are only one-sided to stop boys going into the girls dorms. Bad reputations and rule-breaking in these instances go both ways." Vicki hissed at Paul. It was rare for her to confront anyone or be rude, one of the reasons she was well-liked. But Paul had rubbed her the wrong way and he knew it as he quickly jumped up and went to scamper off to the other end of the house table.

When his back was turned Vicki threw a bit of her toast at his back, but missed. At the corner of her eye she saw Fred smirking at her all the way from the Gryffindor table. She didn't know, but he had been watching her for a short while. He noticed her looking confused as Paul was talking to her and he saw when her face twist in rage. He definitely saw her throw toast at his back.

Fred couldn't remember a time he had seen Vicki angry, aside from towards her boyfriend. He knew Paul must have said something really offensive to her, and rage automatically flowed through Fred as well. He felt anger for her, even though he had no idea what Paul had said to her.

He tried to catch Vicki's eye and as soon as he did he grabbed a discarded edition of the Daily Prophet and rolled it up. He then grabbed a fried egg from the table and performed a spell on it he had used before to convert a cooked egg back into a raw egg within its shell – it was a handy spell to know when one required an egg for what he was about to do.

Vicki looked on from the Ravenclaw table in confusion, as she had no idea what Fred was about to do. Without any warning Fred threw the now raw egg in the air and used his Beater skills to swat it towards Paul's back using the rolled up newspaper. It broke magnificently, splattering Paul in egg matter.

He looked behind him quickly. As Vicki's toast had missed him and as the egg had come from another direction he didn't even suspect Vicki and had his eyes towards a group of first year Ravenclaws who had finished breakfast early and had inconviently stood up at the wrong time. With no evidence to tie the first years to the assault he strode out to change his robes.

Vicki was about to get up from the table to go thank Fred for his actions towards Paul and to laugh about it with him, but at that exact moment the morning post was distributed as all the owls came swooping throughout the Great Hall. Vicki saw her owl, Fez shooting down and he dropped two letters in front of her.

Before ripping them open she looked at who they had both come from. One was the fortnightly letter Sarah, her muggle best friend sent. It was possible for muggles to write to the school – it was something the Hogsmeade post office organised – a fake muggle-friendly address that would ensure the letters ended up at Hogwarts. Therefore she and Sarah took alternate weeks to write to each other.

The second was a surprise. The return address was for Ludovic Bagman. Vicki had written to him weeks ago – Fred and George helped her with the letter as part of their deal of showing her where the kitchens were. When Vicki never heard back the three of them determined that Bagman must have moved onto another young girl to stalk and that they would have to find a new avenue to Bagman to get their World Cup winnings.

Therefore in excitement Vicki opened Bagman's letter first.

My beautiful Vicki,

I must apologise for my delayed response – I have been very preoccupied organising the Triwizard tournament. Please be aware I did think about you a lot – I just haven't had a spare moment to pick up my quill to give you the proper letter you deserve.

I am so grateful you wrote to me and said all those kind words about me. It is very flattering to be called a 'stud' by such a beautiful girl.

There are so many things I'd like to write, but I feel it's much better said in person. I'll be at Hogwarts this coming Friday when the other schools arrive and will be staying at Hogsmeade overnight for reasons I cannot say.

I would love to see you on Friday, maybe spend some time in private getting to know one another? I will request a Hogwarts prefect to greet me and show me around, any chance you can try and ensure that prefect is you?

I look forward to your letter back but most importantly I look forward to seeing your pretty face again.

Sincerely yours,

L. Bagman

Vicki burst into laughter after reading his response, it was all she could do to stop herself from feeling disgusted and bringing attention to herself. She looked up at the Gryffindor table and hoped there was a chance she could grab Fred's attention. Unfortunately he was preoccupied with something Lee Jordan was showing both the twins so Vicki decided to read her other letter first before finding an excuse to go over to the Gryffindor table.

Heya Vicki!

How are things going at boarding school?

I never thought sixth form would be so hard! Maths has become so difficult and I want to punch my English teacher so much!

The gossip does get a lot more juicy though. I went to a party last weekend and some guy was having a wank in his room (why would you do that at a party?!) and then jizzed in his eye. This other girl got fingered and the whole school found out so she dropped out of school to go work in child care.

My friend Susan and I were going to get drunk on Friday at lunch because it's funny but she invited this other girl, Abby. Abby then went around and blabbed to the whole school thinking she was so cool and of course the teachers found out so we had to abandon the plan. What a bitch.

Any funny stories from your end? How are you and Roger going?

I've enclosed an envelope that contains a photo I want you to give to your friend Lee to remember me by – he was hot and sorry I know he's your friend but he was also a good lover. Under no circumstances are you to look at the photo, give it straight to Lee.

Can't wait to hear from you.

Sarah xo

This was another letter that made Vicki laugh. It was a perfect example of how backwards the wizarding world felt when it came to sexual liberations. There was no way Vicki would ever write about anything so open with her school friends, but Vicki's letters to Sarah were always just as trashy as the one she had received. Things were getting better but the magic community was still very conservative. Vicki would write to Sarah using the same manners and talk about crass things but aside from Steph, she wouldn't talk that way to anyone else.

This was one of the main reasons why Sarah's letters meant so much to her. It was a small thing that kept her connected to the muggle world. She enjoyed hearing about all the crazy parties, alcohol drugs and hookups. But she also enjoyed the small things like school, shopping and friendship dramas.

Once upon a time Vicki's parents forced her to go to primary school to learn basic literacy and numeracy before she started at Hogwarts. She remembered when basic algebra would drive her crazy and she remembered how good she was at English at the time, her reading levels were always very advanced. Now it felt so foreign to her, sometimes when she was struggling to conjure a difficult spell in charms, brew a painful potion or transfigure something that was impossible she remembered how hard additions used to be for her, and realise how simple it seemed looking back.

Vicki noticed the small envelope that was sealed with the letter. The main reason why Vicki didn't open it wasn't out of loyalty but mostly due to the fact she knew exactly what was inside and certainly did not want to see it. She did however grin as now she had a perfect excuse to go to the Gryffindor table.

Vicki grabbed all of her letters, but stuffed the one from Bagman into her pocket to ensure it didn't fall into the wrong hands, and went to the Gryffindor table, taking a seat and squeezing herself between Fred and Lee.

"What did Paul Greene say to you?" Fred blurted out, not bothering for a proper greeting first.

Due to the two letters Vicki received, she had already completely forgotten about the altercation she had with Paul. She went to tell the truth to Fred – that Paul no longer wanted her to go into Roger's dormitory at night – but quickly decided to keep her mouth shut. She was fairly close with Fred but they didn't have that type of friendship where they would casually blurt those intimate matters. She would have to change her story.

"He saw a girl in our house who spent the night in the boy's dormitory with a girl and asked me to make sure it didn't happen again. I said I'd keep a watch out, as the teachers are highly strung at the moment. But then he made a comment about girls not wanting to get a bad reputation or something, whilst completely ignoring it takes a guy also to have sex. So I dismissed him and threw toast at him." Vicki giggled loudly.

She was glad she didn't give the full story as she noticed Fred's eyes widen in shock at her words. They had never spoken about anything of the sort – so hearing the words "sex" from her made him feel highly uncomfortable. Vicki picked up on this and wanted to push it further to make him feel as uncomfortable as possible as a joke.

"Speaking of er...special relations. This came for you." Vicki cheerfully stated, holding up the envelope to Lee which contained Sarah's picture.

Lee said nothing and went to open the envelope but Vicki stopped him.

"I wouldn't open that here. It's from Sarah – my muggle friend you met at the end of summer holidays. If I'm not mistaken – there should be naked photos in there. So choose wisely where you open it." Vicki said, trying to remain casual and cool but was having trouble holding a straight face.

The two twins however could not hold back and were sniggering rather loudly.

"Laugh all you want, I'm the one getting naked pictures sent to me. I'll see you both later." Lee beamed as he jumped off his seat and began to briskly walk out of the Great Hall and presumably back to his dormitory.

Vicki wanted to make the twins feel even more awkward and loudly exclaim what he most likely about to do, but she held herself back. Breakfast would be ending very shortly and she had Potions first thing – not a lesson she wanted to be late for. She had business to attend to first.

"Alright let's make this quick or Snape will eat me alive for being late. I received this letter from Bagman this morning." Vicki stated as she dug the letter out of her skirt pocket and handed it the twins.

George snatched it without a word and held it so Fred would be able to read it too. Their eyes quickly scanned the paper as they read in silence.

As they were reading the letter, Cedric approached Vicki from the Hufflepuff table – which was next to the Gryffindor one.

"Hey Vicki, do you want to come with me to potions? If we leave right now we'll get there in time. Snape would be horrible on any normal day, but now he has an excuse to be even harsher..." Cedric proposed.

Vicki shot a nervous look towards the twins as she definitely didn't want Cedric to lay his eyes on the letter in their hands, or find out what her and the twins were up to.

Fred looked up from the letter and narrowed his eyes at Diggory. Diggory had never done anything to cross him, but Fred never liked him anyway. He had never quite recovered from the time Cedric had scored a win in the Quiddich match against Gryffindor the previous year, only catching the snitch because Harry fell of his room. Fred hated his do-gooder status: house prefect, house Quiddich captain, loved by everyone. It went against everything he stood for as a troublemaker.

He also always felt a tinge of jealousy towards Diggory. Before his intense crush on Victoria Hartwell which started the previous year, he used to have a small thing for Angelina Johnson, a girl on his Quiddich team. It was nothing compared to the passion he had for Vicki now, but he did hold feelings for Angelina once. She used to always hammer on about how handsome Diggory was and the girls around would giggle. Now he had to deal with Diggory being on very good terms with his current crush. It drove him mad how 'perfect' Diggory seemed.

He was also now in a bad mood after the letter he had read, so he was taking it out by shooting filthy looks towards Diggory.

"Right, well I guess we better head off. I'll um, catch up with you both later, maybe at lunch. We can discuss the...thing later." Vicki stammered out in a nervous state, not keeping her usual cool or wits about her.

The two twins greeted her farewell and Fred watched as both Vicki and Diggory walked out of the Great Hall together and headed into the direction of the Potions dungeons.

"I do not envy Vicki one bit. I'm so glad we don't need to deal with Snape anymore." George laughed, but then grew silent when he noticed Fred didn't laugh back.

"This letter from Bagman is a bit creepy, especially when you remember he's in his thirties and Vicki is only sixteen. Do you think she's in danger? Have we done the wrong thing by getting her involved?" Fred asked his twin suddenly, thrusting the letter into George's hands as he didn't want to be anywhere near it.

George blinked as he processed Fred's words carefully. This was out of character for Fred. Usually George was the twin who relented on some of their ideas and pranks, and Fred was the one who pushed forward. He knew Vicki meant a lot to Fred, but perhaps it was even more than he realised.


	16. Chapter 16

**This chapter was going to be a lot longer but I've decided to split it into two so the start of the tournament/the goblet of fire part is not rushed. I can promise you many good things are about to come - and each chapter brings Fred a lot closer to his wish of winning over Vicki Hartwell! Plus a lot of you seem to be really keen for an update so I wanted to get this out.**

 **Huge shout out to pumpkinpuzzler for the lovely review.**

 **PS - I mention school uniform skirts getting rolled up a lot in this series. For those who were fortunate enough to not go to a school with a uniform - I'll explain what this means. Usually school skirts are made to be quite long. Some students would either stitch up the hem themselves, or get their parents to do it. For girls who aren't good at sewing/their parents can't sew either/their parents refused to let them shorten their skirts - you would have to roll your skirt up at the top in order to make the skirt shorter. Ahhh, secondary school memories.**

* * *

The school week leading up to the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students was not fun for the Hogwarts students. They were all being pulled up by their teachers for the smallest things. Stephanie Fawcett had received detention for repeatedly being told to wash off her makeup and to roll down her skirt, but later on her skirt would once again be short and fresh make-up would be on her face. It had certainly scared Vicki into making sure her skirt was just below the knee and her make-up was minimal and barely noticeable.

Fred and George had also been restricted in their normal day-to-day activities. As well-known troublemakers it appeared teachers were breathing down their necks so they had been very quiet over the past week. Only Vicki knew the real reason why they hadn't been playing up – they were scheming about Bagman. They had all formed a plan on how they were going to make the most of his visit. Vicki was going to be used as bait to get him alone and then the twins would ambush him.

Between plotting, prefect duties and preparing for the international visit Vicki had been very busy that week. She was running on little sleep and had barely spent any time with Roger. However he too was very busy and he understood.

Therefore it was a peaceful feeling to Vicki when the 30th October rolled around. Although this was the day the other schools were arriving everything was in place and there was little work to be done. As both students and staff were excited yet a tad nervous about what the evening would bring most teachers only taught a light lesson, and eventually the last lesson rolled around. All students were finishing their last lesson half an hour early, however all the prefects were to miss their last lesson completely as they had more to do in preparation for what the night would bring.

On the Friday Vicki walked with Roger to their dormitories and quickly dumped her books before she made sure she was looking neat. She straightened her blazer, pulled down her skirt, combed her hair and added a school headband to her hair before she and Roger headed down to the Entrance Hall together.

Vicki was expecting to see the heads of houses present and her assumptions were correct but she was shocked when she saw Professor Dumbledore standing at the bottom of the staircase standing pleasantly with his hands behind his back. It wasn't rare to have Dumbledore's presence around the castle but he never came to things that were a mundane formality such as a quick prefect meeting before the other students came down. She thought Dumbledore would arrive when the other students did.

"Mr Davies, Miss Hartwell. Glad for you to have joined us." Dumbledore greeted them, no sarcasm in his voice whatsoever.

"Thank you sir." Roger bowed politely, but Vicki decided to make conversation.

"Are you excited for what tonight and the next few months hold for us?" Vicki asked him directly.

"Yes, I can certainly say I am very much excited." Dumbledore smiled towards her.

"Well, here's to making the most of the Triwizard tournament, right?" Vicki grinned, pretending to hold up an invisible cup.

Dumbledore could only chuckle at Victoria as Professor Flitwick had squeaked for both Vicki and Roger to head over to the Ravenclaw area for one last run-through of the arrival procedure before all of the students came down to join them.

After a half hour of last-minute preparations with the prefects, the rest of the school came down. Within minutes the Entrance Hall went from being quiet and peaceful to having hundreds of excited students chattering. The heads of houses were ordering their houses into lines based on what year they were in and the prefects were then taking each level from their house outside separately . Once Vicki had finally organised the seventh-year Ravenclaws she quickly took her place at the front – as the prefects were to stand at the very front in front of the first years, ready to greet the other schools.

From there it was silence. None of the students knew how the other schools were arriving to Hogwarts, not even the prefects. Aside from a few whispers no one was speaking their curiousities audibly. Vicki noticed all of the students were looking around in an excited manner, herself included.

From the back Vicki heard Dumbledore shout out, the first to speak "Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"

It took a few moments for anyone else to be able to notice it, but a very large horse-drawn carriage (which looked more like a house) appeared in the sky. A few students gasped and stepped back to make room, but the horses were able to manoeuvre their landing very loudly but safely and the carriage landed in front of the prefects.

There was complete silence from the Hogwarts students as a student in pale-blue robes exited the carriage before any of the Hogwarts prefects could offer help (most were rooted to their spot in amazement anyway) and the boy prepared some steps to lead up to the carriage. He quickly stepped back and moments later a very large woman exited the carriage. Vicki came to the conclusion within seconds that she had to have giant blood in her.

The silence was broken by Dumbledore who began to clap loudly and it didn't take long for the rest of the school to join in. Vicki heard cheering and whistling behind her and she snapped back to see it coming from the Weasley twins. They weren't able to see her from where they were standing so she didn't bother trying to wave and gave her attention back to the front.

After Dumbledore exchanged pleasantries with the headmistress of Beauxbatons, she had decided to wait inside with her students to get out of the cold. The headmistress indicated for her students to follow her inside and the Hogwarts students parted to allow them through. Vicki glanced towards Kelly and Paul the head boy and head girl and noticed they were stuck looking at the students in amazement. Knowing the teachers would be cross should the prefects not give a proper welcome to their guests she quickly formed a plan to break the ice and make the welcome a little warmer for their guests.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said to each student who passed as she extended her hand "It's such a pleasure to have your company here this year."

Vicki giggled as a few of the boys kissed her hand on their way past. She was nervous at Roger's reaction as he had shown signs of jealousy this year but she found his attention was on one of the girls who was walking into the Entrance Hall with a shawl over her head.

"I didn't see much of her face but those were the deepest blue eyes I've ever seen!" Roger exclaimed to Paul the Head Boy, who nodded to agree with Roger.

Vicki just shrugged as she went back to waiting for the other school to arrive. Vicki and Roger always spoke about people they found attractive, in fact it wasn't uncommon for Vicki to be the one to bring up the topic of a very good-looking girl, and always found herself agreeing with Roger when he thought someone was attractive. Vicki was a strong, secure girl who was fine with this arrangement. It was just when Roger took this policy too far when it became a problem which had just happened once: at the World Cup.

Soon the chattering died down and once again the entire school fell silent – the whispers had even disappeared but this could be due to the fact the Beauxbatons horses were snorting loudly and were muffling any chances of quiet conversations.

A loud rumbling sound began to ring out around them. It was shaking the surroundings and seemed to be bouncing off everything and therefore it was impossible to pinpoint the place the noise was coming from: it felt like it was coming from everywhere. It reminded Vicki of the sound a large car with a powerful motor will make from a distance.

"The lake! Look at the lake!" Lee Jordan yelled suddenly.

The entire school quickly shifted their eyes to the lake and saw a magnificent ship rise and gently finish its journey along the banks, an anchor being dropped and a plank coming down onto the bank.

The students began to disembark but stayed near their ship. Only their headmaster was brave enough to move forward and called out to Dumbledore like an old friend.

One student walked with the headmaster and many gasps were heard from the Hogwarts student when they were able to see the identity of this person. Vicki could only grin. Things were about to get really interesting this year with a world famous Quiddich player in their midst's.

After their headmaster had safely disembarked the ship and greeted Dumbledore the other students began to depart the ship one by one. Following Vicki's lead with the Beauxbatons students from before all of the prefects shook hands with the Durmstrang students and welcomed them to the school – although it was a bit rushed as most prefects wanted to end the formalities quickly so they could goggle at Krum as everyone began to go inside now all of the guests had arrived.

Vicki slowly made her way inside, staying behind the swarm of people who were attempting to get a good look at Krum. As she had never been heavily into Quiddich (she always told people she was an academic not a sporty type) she didn't give two hoots that Krum was present in their school. She felt she was in the minority as all of her friends, including Stephanie, Roger and even Cedric were preoccupied with trying to get a good look at him.

"Are you going to ask him for a signature?" Fred teased Vicki as she noticed both twins appeared next to her grinning.

"No!" Vicki scoffed loudly, offended that they would mistake her for a giggling fan girl "I'm more interested in laughing at these chumps following him. It's going to be funny watching these pathetic stalkers this year, I can't wait."

Fred had to suppress a loud groan as both he and his twin escorted Vicki into the hall, placing a hand each on her shoulders and helping her make a path as they shoved their way through the crowd gathered around the Durmstrang students.

They all made their separate ways upon their safe yet delayed entry to the Great Hall. The twins took their seat at the Gryffindor table whilst Vicki sat down at the Ravenclaw table. Fred noticed that Vicki called over the dozen Beauxbatons students that had congregated awkwardly at the entrance to the Great Hall, their presence almost forgotten by all due to the excitement of Krum's entrance. The Beauxbatons students eagerly sat at the Ravenclaw table and Vicki began to chat with them all.

"What was that weird noise you hid before? That was strange." George snorted as he made fun of his brother, although he did so fairly quietly as the tables around them began to fill and Fred's crush on Vicki was kept fairly low key.

"Ah, I may as well tell you, even though you'll laugh about the fact I've gone soft." Fred sighed but sent a small smile to his twin.

George mirrored Fred's small smile. He knew exactly what Fred was about to discuss. He understood just how head over heels his twin was for Victoria Hartwell and made a mental note to not be too harsh on Fred's feelings. He would only poke fun to cheer Fred up.

"I already think she's this amazing girl and so perfect for me. Then I find out she's one of the only girls in school to not fawn over Krum if not the only girl not to; in fact she's interested in laughing at those people this year. Can she just make this easier and do something unattractive for once to help me get over this crush." Fred sighed as he gave his explanation to George.

"Chin up, mate. There's quite the looker just two seats down from Vicki. Take a glance, you'll forget all about plain old icky Vicki." George pointed out as he nodded his head towards the Ravenclaw table.

Fred reluctantly took a look and it was immediately obvious who George was referring to. One of the Beauxbatons girls had taken off her head scarf and in its place was shiny platinum blonde hair, dazzling light eyes and the brightest white teeth that Fred had ever laid eyes on. She was very attractive and he would admit that, but he was still of the opinion that Vicki was better. Maybe this new mysterious girl's eyes were the wrong shade of blue and also that he preferred brunettes, or maybe he knew at the back of his mind that there was no chance in hell this Beauxbatons beauty would have a more attractive personality than Vicki. But she hardly made him forget about 'plain old icky Vicki', and he had to stop himself from snapping at George for referring to Vicki with such an unflattering line, realising George only said this to help him feel better.

Vicki began to chat with a few of the Beauxbatons students in an attempt to warmly welcome them to the school. Whilst these students were far from rude to Vicki they had many complaints and kept comparing Hogwarts to their own school in an unfavourable manner. Some of the Ravenclaws within earshot scoffed at the Beauxbatons students' insults towards the school but Vicki felt empathetic towards them. If Vicki stepped into Beauxbatons she would do the same – Hogwarts would always be number one in her eyes and it made sense students from other schools would be protective of their own institution.

Once students from all schools had been seated (The Durmstrang students had taken a seat at the Slytherin table – Graham Montague gave Vicki a thumbs up from the table which made her smile) Dumbledore opened the feast formally and the students began to tuck in. Vicki had only just finished filling her plate with food and had picked up her fork to eat when a figure from the Slytherin table approached her, and it wasn't Montague.

"Hartwell, you're officially back on prefect duties as of right now. You need to go to the outside to greet our special guests and escort them to the staff table." Kelly, the Head Girl informed Vicki.

"You're Head Girl, can't you do it?" Vicki whined loudly, wanting to get a chance to eat first and was not very happy with this proposal.

"You'd think so," Kelly said through gritted teeth as she was clearly feeling dejected about the arrangement herself "But Ludo Bagman specifically asked for you for reasons unknown, and they're granting his wish."

Vicki jumped up immediately upon hearing Kelly's words. Through all the excitement of the other two schools arriving and the beautiful feast prepared by the house elves in front of her she had completely forgotten about Bagman's letter and how he said he would be visiting the school this weekend. As much as Vicki wanted to eat the food, she owed Fred and George a huge favour for showing her the kitchens and how to access them. Her plan tonight was to figure out Bagman's movements for the weekend so the twins could properly confront him about their missing winnings from the bet at the World Cup. Hopefully she would be able to lure him somewhere alone tomorrow and conveniently have the twins run into them, she was praying it wouldn't be too long after she got Bagman alone as she didn't fancy spending large amounts of time in his company.

"Cheer up. You get to be Head Girl during the Triwizard Tournament – it's such a big responsibility but a great opportunity too. You're going to have so many doors open for you due to this. It's the first tournament in hundreds of years, and you are the host school's Head Girl. Some of us common prefects have to do the small, boring tasks such as greeting guests." Vicki smiled towards Kelly, who smiled back at Vicki and thanked her before taking her seat back at the Slytherin table, a large strut in her walk.

Vicki didn't say those words purely to cheer up Kelly – there was a selfish motive behind them. She wanted Kelly to forget all about how Bagman requested Vicki specifically – what better way to do that than to stroke a Slytherin's ego? Vicki had to be stealthy and sneaky in her approach of trapping Bagman, she couldn't have other people know of Bagman's soft spot for her. This information was for Fred and George Weasley only.

Vicki didn't bother to tell anyone seated at her table of where she was going. Stephanie was too busy trying to goggle at Krum to her disappointment and Roger was immersed deep in conversation with one of the Beauxbatons girls that Vicki had befriended – her name was Fleur. Vicki had however managed to catch the eye of both twins and she made a hand gesture to the door and hoped that they had understood what she was trying to say – she was on Bagman duty tonight. As no plans had been set in concrete for tonight with Bagman this was not pre-planned between the twins and Vicki – but she knew it was a great opportunity for her to put their plan in motion and she would speak to the twins after the feast.

Vicki bounded out of the Great Hall and into the Entrance Hall. Standing in the entrance she saw two figures – as she got nearer she noticed that Bagman was accompanied by Barty Crouch, another ministry wizard who she knew was behind the revival of the Triwizard Tournament. She felt relieved – the less time alone with Bagman the better.


	17. Chapter 17

**If this part is a bit dry I can promise you that you'll LOVE the next one, hang in there we are getting to more Fred action gradually.**

 **Massive thanks to guest for the review - I always adore your reviews you're the best! I'm also glad you've made the link between Montague and the twins pushing him into the vanishing cabinet ;) it may be a while away but it's definitely going to be related to Vicki in this story.**

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"Ah, here she is now. Barty, this is Victoria. One of Hogwarts' brightest students." Bagman announced loudly and Vicki realised he must have been talking about her to Crouch before she came to greet them.

"Hello Mr Crouch, it's a pleasure to meet you." Vicki said as she shook Crouch's hand. She met him at the World Cup when she sat at the Weasley's tent before the match but didn't expect him to remember her due to the frantic events that happened shortly after.

"Likewise." Crouch responded politely, a small smile on his face.

"How have you been Miss Hartwell, been keeping out of trouble?" Bagman asked Vicki, attempting to flirt discreetly without attracting the attention of Crouch.

"Always, Bagman. I'm a model student." Vicki responded, cocking up an eyebrow to play the part of someone who was sceptical of what Bagman was trying to say.

"Model is definitely correct, if you ever wanted to go down that path I could send a few owls, you've definitely got the looks." Bagman winked at her.

Vicki had to suppress a loud scoff. Growing up in the muggle community she knew all about men like him – and she wasn't surprised they existed in the magic community also. Predators – men who would use some sort of power to lure and then trap girls rather than attracting them through their own merits. Vicki thought he was just a creepy older guy but now she was even keener to help Fred and George get their money back from him.

Crouch who was also unimpressed with Bagman loudly cleared his throat. Bagman's grin faltered a little but it was still there.

"If we could head into the Great Hall now, it would be very much appreciated. I would love to sample some of the fine foods Dumbledore promised, it's always enlightening tasting new foods from different cultures." Crouch stated matter-of-factly, trying to remain neutral but his choice of words showing his annoyance towards his work colleague.

"Sure. Right this way." Vicki shrugged, showing apathy as she was also keen to return to her food.

Crouch walked ahead of Bagman remembering the way to the Great Hall vividly from his own Hogwarts days – which left Bagman and Vicki to walk slowly behind and chat without Crouch's interference – he clearly did not want to know.

"I'm staying for the whole weekend. The champions will be picked tomorrow, but that's all I can say, I don't want to spoil it," Bagman stated in an excited tone to Vicki "But I was hoping maybe you'd have some spare time to show me around?"

Vicki's instinct was to be visibly disgusted by how inappropriate and grotesque Bagman was behaving like, but then she was immediately filled with glee. She had just been handed the opportunity she was trying to work towards, and wouldn't have to spend any extra time digging for this information.

"I'd certainly love to – it's my job as prefect to make our guests feel welcome." Vicki beamed, hiding behind the façade of innocence Bagman was trying to create in front of Crouch, with Bagman not realising the whole thing was a plot created by Vicki and the Weasley twins.

"Great. Say, let's get together after lunch is served." Bagman proposed as they entered the Great Hall.

Vicki pouted as she looked around. All of the students were chattering away in excited tones and weren't paying attention to the guests who had just arrived which was good for her, but she could see dinner was now finishing up and only the grotesque leftovers were remaining.

"Sounds good. Come seek me out tomorrow." Vicki grinned towards Bagman, before quickly going back to her seat at the Ravenclaw table so she could use a spell to reheat her plate of food, as she knew this would be the only plate she would be able to enjoy.

Vicki did indeed enjoy her plate of food, and in the end she was thankful her time during the main course was cut short as she got to sample many different desserts, her best friend Stephanie did not have that luxury as she whined loudly she was too full.

After the plates were cleared when the students could eat no more, Dumbledore stood up. Vicki noticed that this was perhaps the only time she had watched every student in that hall pay attention before an important announcement from Dumbledore. Even Fred and George, who were well known to make loud remarks for the amusement of all the students were quiet, leaning forward as they watched Dumbledore in concentration.

After introducing Bagman and Crouch to the students (to which Vicki was unimpressed at the level of applause that was given to Bagman) Dumbledore began to explain the tournament in more detail. Dumbledore announced that Bagman, Crouch, Madame Maxine, Professor Karkaroff and himself would be the judges of the tournament. He explained that there would be three tasks throughout the rest of the school year. He then also finally announced a question that had been plaguing the students since the tournament was announced at the start of the school year – the way the champions would be chosen.

"The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire." Dumbledore announced as he unveiled the goblet with two taps of his wand – the top of the casket falling down to reveal the very underwhelming looking Goblet of Fire – plain looking except for the handsome flames dancing around at the top of it.

After placing the goblet on top of the casket for everyone to see he began to speak about the rules of the tournament. Each applicant were to write their names on a piece of parchment, with the goblet making its selection the following evening. The age limit was also final – Dumbledore would be personally drawing an age line around the casket. Finally he announced that all applications were final. Upon submitting the name, the prospective champion would have entered into a magically binding contract that states they are required to perform each task in the tournament to the best of their ability with no option of backing out.

Upon these announcements Dumbledore then bought the festivities to a close and sent the students to bed. Stephanie Fawcett jumped up and immediately exited the hall to beat the rush, saying she wanted an early night tonight. Vicki gave a gruff goodbye to the Beauxbatons students at her table, as she wanted to catch Fred and George before bed. Luckily for her – Roger didn't follow her, as he was giving directions out of the castle back onto the grounds to some of the Beauxbatons students, Fleur included.

There was a hold up at the exit of the Great Hall and Vicki used this opportunity to move horizontally, until she found herself in front of Fred, George and Lee.

"Hey, I need to speak to you guys about something." Vicki said to the twins, nodding her head towards Bagman at the front of the hall who was speaking to Dumbledore jovially.

"Sorry Lee, Miss Hartwell requests our presence. We'll meet you up at the dorms soon." George said to Lee as they walked through the entrance hall, in an attempt to dismiss Lee so they could talk in private.

Lee sent the trio an inquisitive look, but didn't argue as he bid them farewell and climbed the staircase to make his way back to the Gryffindor tower. Vicki pulled the twins into a corner so they would be out of the way for the students trudging back to their common rooms. Whilst she would normally be cautious of speaking about a covert plan in a public space, she knew it was safe. All the other students were all chattering in an excited manner about the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang visits and the upcoming tournament, no one paid attention to the trio in the corner.

"I'm meeting with Bagman after lunch. He said he wants me to show him around the school or whatever, clearly he's just doing something to get me alone. Creep." Vicki spat out, rolling her eyes at the memory of Bagman's advances.

Fred was incapable of speech as he tightened his knuckles to his sides. He would be disgusted if he learned any older male was trying to put a younger girl in a vulnerable situation but because it was Bagman his new enemy and Vicki the girl he yearned for, his anger was multiplied.

"Whoa, look Vicki, you don't need to do this if you don't want to. I don't want you to feel too uncomfortable, or be in danger." George spoke up, casting a quick sidewards glance towards his twin as he watched Fred nod – George also was starting to feel guilty for getting Vicki involved, as the gravity of the situation was starting to hit him now he knew Bagman was doing what he could to get Vicki alone.

"It's fine, I want to. You're both now friends so I want to help you out. But mostly I want Bagman to cough up because I hate him." Vicki smiled, an evil smile coming across her usual innocent, pretty face.

The twins and Vicki then quickly discussed an adequate plan. By the end of their scheming they were very satisfied with the result. Vicki would be able to lead Bagman to a fairly isolated area, but it wouldn't be too isolated and the twins would jump out and quickly confront Bagman, allowing Vicki to then make a quick getaway.

"Well we better go. We're staying up tonight to making an Ageing Potion with Lee to get over Dumbledore's Age Line." Fred bragged to Vicki, subtly puffing out his chest for added effect in his attempt to impress the girl.

Her eyes widened in shock. She had heard both twins at various points loudly state they would do what they could do to enter, even with the age restriction. She always assumed they were joking and didn't think they would actually do it. She was definitely impressed, but sceptical.

"I know this isn't what you want to hear, but I wouldn't be so sure an Ageing potion would work. Even though it's an Age Line I'm sure Dumbledore would have thought of underage students using Ageing Potions to get past it." Vicki hesitantly spoke up.

"Why not?" Both twins asked in unison, a sarcastic and quite cool undertone to their question, both unhappy with Vicki's scepticism of their plan.

"C'mon, he's the most knowledgeable about both white and dark magic – examples include his defeat of Grindelwald and the fact apparently he's the only person You-Know-Who is afraid of," Vicki intelligently explained, but began to explore other possibilities when she saw the unimpressed looks she was getting "But who knows how Dumbledore's mind works. Maybe this is a wildcard entry for underage students. Those who can conjure an adequate Ageing Potion in such a short amount of time are deemed knowledgeable and prepared enough to enter the tournament."

"That's right." Fred grinned widely, choosing to ignore Vicki's first comments and believe the end of what she were saying, it did sound like an unknown twist that Dumbledore could have subtly planted, and he was keen to find out whether it would be true.

Vicki bit her lip and sighed, she was still doubtful their plan would work but she still wanted to be supportive. Therefore she would give them a word of advice.

"If you only want to make the Ageing Potion make you a few months older, when you need to stir it clockwise at the beginning – give it ten swirls going anti-clockwise. It reduces the potency of the potion but doesn't spoil the potion's magic. The closer you aim to the age of seventeen the better chances you will get, it's just as easy to make yourself too old as it is to make yourself too young." Vicki stated to the twins using a gentle voice, wanting to give some sort of advice that would assist them.

"Thanks Vicki-" George said brightly, and his sentence was finished by Fred.

"We won't just make you proud – we'll prove you wrong." Fred stated, sending a wink towards his crush, making her grin.

"Please do. You three are now my favourites for Hogwarts champion." Vicki stated.

Vicki's words struck a chord with Fred. Even though she said it so casually it meant so much to him. Plenty of people would be entering this tournament, but he (alongside his twin and best friend) were the ones she was hoping would be chosen. He had no idea what to say at this revelation, but luckily George was the one who was capable of speech.

"Well if we have the official seal of approval from Vicki Hartwell, we'll be off." George said semi-sarcastically as he grabbed Fred's shoulder to start leading him away, but sent her a boyish smile to show he didn't mean to be too harsh.

No other words were exchanged between the twins and Vicki – Vicki only waved goodbye to which Fred returned enthusiastically before he turned around and began his trip upstairs to the seventh floor corridor which would lead him to Gryffindor Tower.

Vicki turned around herself and gasped as she came face to face with Dumbledore. She saw he had silently moved the casket from the Great Hall and the goblet with the dancing blue flames was in front of her.

It was only the two of them, all the other students had long left the area. Therefore his appearance was a surprise as she hadn't heard him approach at all.

"I do apologise for bothering you Victoria, but I must politely ask that you move so I may draw the Age Line." Dumbledore politely requested of Vicki.

Vicki grinned sheepishly and jumped out of the way. She almost made a comment out loud that she would be the only underage student to be within arm's reach of the goblet but thought it may be inappropriate to say and kept quiet.

She stood back to watch Dumbledore draw the age line and looked around as she heard footsteps approach and felt another person's presence. She saw Cedric stand beside her and she sent him a huge smile as they both watched Dumbledore's magic Age Line being created in silence.

When Dumbledore had finished drawing both Vicki and Cedric rushed over and offered to help up their elderly headmaster, who politely declined as he got to his feet with relative ease.

"You're both too kind." He chuckled as he walked away with no further words to say.

Vicki and Cedric were silent until Dumbledore was gone. It was only then when Cedric spoke up.

"Well, I'm going to test out this Age Line and this goblet." Cedric grinned, showing Vicki a piece of parchment that had "Cedric Diggory – Hogwarts" written very neatly on it.

Vicki didn't say anything but watched him step over the freshly drawn line and throw his name into the cup. They both waited in anticipation for something to happen but after a few moments the fire was still cackling and there was no indication of any change.

"Oh well, guess I'm officially entered." Cedric grinned towards Vicki, very excited he had now applied.

He was caught off guard by a tackled hug from his dear friend as she was overcome with excitement and proud feelings for someone who was now one of her closest friends.

"I'm so proud of you! You'll get it, I can't think of anyone else at Hogwarts the goblet would pick." Vicki gushed towards Cedric.

She felt a little guilty as a few moments before she informed Fred and George they were her favourites to win. It was still true – they certainly were if they managed to be chosen underage. But if she had to bet she would put her money on Cedric being chosen. Even if Fred and George manage to get over the Age Line and enter they aren't guaranteed to be chosen. Cedric held a lot of merit and seemed best prepared for the possible tasks.

"Yeah well, I'm just lucky you're underage and not running, no one from Hogwarts would stand a chance against the intelligent but brave Vicki Hartwell." Cedric responded, deciding to accept compliment modestly but send an honest one back.

"I don't think I would be brave enough to enter even if I was seventeen. Anyway, I guess I better go to bed. I have things I need to do tomorrow." Vicki stated as she let out a fake loud yawn, wanting to go to bed to prepare for Bagman tomorrow but not sound rude to be departing from Cedric so suddenly.

"Alright. Want me to walk you to Ravenclaw tower to make sure you're safe?" Cedric asked her.

Vicki smiled. Cedric was such a gentleman, he was probably the nicest person she knew. He would do anything for a friend. She really hoped he was made champion (behind Fred, George or Lee) he really did deserve it.

"I'll be okay. Thank you, though." Vicki responded, giving Cedric a quick hug goodbye as she went up the staircase to lead herself to the fifth floor, whilst Cedric made his way past the kitchens to the Hufflepuff common room.

When Vicki got back to Ravenclaw tower she noticed the common room was unusually empty, usually after a big event it was crowded as all the students would get together to chat in an excited manner. It seemed everyone else wanted an early night too.

She went up to her dormitory and saw the other girls getting ready for bed. She quickly changed into her pyjamas and was about to doze off when she heard Stephanie call out to her from the bed next to her.

"Hey Vicki, say we want to make an Ageing Potion for next Hogmeade visit to trick Madam Rosemerta into serving us, got any tips?" Stephanie asked her.

In an annoyed growl Vicki gave her best friend the same tips she gave Fred and George a little earlier. Once Stephanie was satisfied she had been given all the tips Vicki had to offer she let Vicki drift off to sleep.

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The next morning Vicki awoke to a completely empty dorm. Even Stephanie who always slept in was not in her bed, so Vicki quickly got dressed and put on some quick makeup and headed down to breakfast.

It was the earliest she had ever seen the Great Hall jam-packed. Vicki could barely fit at the Ravenclaw table so she grabbed two bits of toast and stood in the Entrance Hall, joining the small crowd that were watching the Goblet of Fire with interest. She of course had inspected the goblet itself last night, but the excitement surrounding this goblet was drawing her in. The Durmstrang students were just finishing putting their names in when she came out to the Entrance Hall, so she stood around eagerly hoping to see who from Hogwarts would enter their names.

There was some laughing and cheering from the staircase and Vicki looked up to see Fred, George and Lee rushing down, big grins on their faces. Vicki held out her hand as they rushed past to let them high five her as they ran past, but she then quickly followed them as they approached Dumbledore's Age Line.

Both the twins and Lee exchanged some words with their youngest brother as well as his friends Harry and Hermione before taking the plunge. Fred went first, mucking around with the line by pretending to dive before he leaped over – George hot on his tail.

The entire Entrance Hall was silent as they all watched the twins successfully get past the Age Line that Dumbledore had drawn. Vicki was incapable of speech, she was in disbelief that it had actually worked.

This was short-lived as moments later a loud crackling sound boomed throughout the Entrance Hall. Fred and George were ejected from the circle by an invisible force – reminding Vicki of cartoons where someone is removed forcefully from a place and comically thrown out as far as possible. Fred and George hit the floor with a crash and Vicki ran over automatically, wanting to check her friends were okay.

She jumped back in fright when two long beards appeared on their faces, forcing the twins to look down and see what Vicki was frightened of. The Entrance Hall rung out with laughter and Vicki held herself back, not wanting to offend her friends. She offered both of her hands to the two boys who eagerly accepted one each. Once they got to their feet they joined in with the laughter and this was when Vicki knew it was safe to giggle.

"I did warn you. I suggest you both go up to Madam Pomfrey. She is already tending to Miss Fawcett, of Ravenclaw, and Mr. Summers, of Hufflepuff, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little too. Though I must say, neither of their beards is anything like as fine as yours." Dumbledore said sounding amused as he entered the Entrance Hall, smiling at his students' mischievous way of attempting to defy his Age Line, rather than being cross with them.

A huge grin spread across Vicki's face. Dumbledore had stated Stephanie had tried to get across that Age Line – that was news to Vicki. It now made sense why Steph kept Vicki awake last night quizzing her about conjuring a quality Ageing Potion.

Vicki decided to go to the Hospital Wing with the twins and Lee. She wanted to go see Steph as payback for forcing her to stay awake for selfish gains.


	18. Chapter 18

**I was going to get this out on Saturday to celebrate Fred and George's birthday but stuff came up - sorry! :(**

 **In response to the reviews:**

 **Guest - As always - thank you so much for your reviews! Bagman is definitely different in this story as he is in the books - in the books he's just an overgrown child who's made some pretty bad decisions (gambling debts) in life. In this fanfic he's a creepy perv capitalising on his past glories trying to take advantage of young women - luckily he's the one getting taken advantage of ;) Thanks for saying such lovely things - I'm interested in your opinion on the deep and meaningful Vicki and Fred had in this chapter vs the one Tom and Tori had in the other story - this one seems a lot more natural and innocent right?**

 **Raven Woods 2003 - thanks for jumping on board :) not gonna lie, I'm hell keen for Vicki and Fred's relationship to grow as well. It's slow moving, but it's eventually getting there!**

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The four of them (Vicki, Lee and the now-bearded twins) all laughed heartily as they made their way up to the hospital wing. They all burst through the doors and Madam Pomfrey turned to look at them with a very unamused look on her face, hands on her hips.

"I was wondering when I would see you twins coming through these doors. I knew you would make an appearance as soon as Dumbledore warned me what would happen should someone attempt to get over that Age Line who shouldn't." She sternly stated, very unhappy with both the twins.

Madam Pomfrey was usually a very kind woman, but sometimes came across as stern as she was always very strict with her patients and their care. Vicki hadn't spent any extended amounts of time in the hospital wing for medical care (aside from the occasional pepper-up potion when she was feeling a little under the weather, and the one time she had a mishap with a dangerous plant in third year, she was always terrible at Herbology) but she still knew Madam Pomfrey well.

Vicki aspired to be a healer when she finished up at Hogwarts next year. In her earlier years she drove Madam Poppy Pomfrey mad as the inexperienced younger girl would loudly boast she could cure very minor ailments which prevented students seeking medical help and going to the inexperienced young girl instead. Madam Pomfrey then invited the girl to spend some of her free time in the hospital wing to watch her treat some fellow students to give Vicki some exposure to the healing profession. She would never let an underage student perform any magic on another student on her watch but Vicki was allowed to assist in other ways such as grabbing tools and assisting with brewing simple potions.

Madam Pomfrey now had a very deep respect for the girl and could see immerse amounts of talent in her. She knew the girl would go on to do marvellous things for the profession and would certainly be writing her many letters of recommendations with the highest praise after she left Hogwarts – something she had never done for a student before.

"Alright you two, find a bed, take a seat. I'll be back with a de-stimulating potion for hair in no time," Madam Pomfrey snapped at the twins before she turned to Lee "You, out."

"But you usually let six visitors at a time per person. Vicki and I only make two, we're ten short before you can kick us out." Lee loudly whined in protest as the twins scampered off to find two beds next to each other.

"I don't care, I won't be glorifying this behaviour. Dumbledore should not have allowed this tournament to go ahead, it's far too dangerous. Underage students should know better than to try and flout the rules and enter unprepared." Madam Pomfrey loudly exclaimed.

Vicki could tell that Madam Pomfrey felt so strongly about the tournament as it was rare for the woman to probe so much into the illnesses. Madam Pomfrey had once told her she tried to turn a blind eye to the reasons why students were admitted. If it wasn't knowledge she required in order to treat her patients, she didn't need to know. When she was younger she didn't understand why an adult at school wouldn't try and use this information as a gold mine to find rule breakers. But as she got older she understood better. If students knew they were going to get into trouble for seeking medical help they would avoid it, which would be a dangerous predicament. So for Madam Pomfrey to be ranting and raving about why the twins were admitted, it was definitely a sign she clearly was not happy.

Lee grumbled as he couldn't think of a compelling argument on why he should be allowed to stay and began to trudge out. Vicki turned to follow him but Madam Pomfrey called after her.

"You can stay Victoria. One of your friends is here and refuses to let me finish off treatment, maybe she'll let you in." Madam Pomfrey muttered, nodding her head towards the only bed with closed curtains.

Vicki saw Lee gape at how unfairly he thought he was being treated but she only sent him a shrug. She had momentarily forgotten Stephanie was in the hospital wing for attempting to get over the Age Line herself – something she had not mentioned to Vicki she was going to do. Vicki therefore was very desperate to go see her friend and poke fun at the outcome.

"I'll be with you lads soon." Vicki stated towards the twins. Madam Pomfrey sent Vicki a disapproving look as she wasn't happy Vicki was glorifying rule breaking and dangerous behaviour but Vicki chose to ignore this as she found herself in front of the bed with the curtains drawn.

"Oh Stephanie darling, it's Vicki. I've come to pay you a visit." Vicki grinned as she yelled out to Stephanie from outside the curtain.

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up and get in here." Steph muttered.

Vicki was confused, she thought her best friend would be horrified at her presence and would try her hardest to avoid letting Vicki see her. Deciding not to question it Vicki ducked through the curtains to find her friend looking glum.

"You look like a sixteen year old boy bragging to the girl he likes that he's manly because of his pitiful and patchy chin fluff." Vicki laughed in a hearty manner.

Stephanie just sent a murderous glare towards Vicki. Vicki didn't know how bad Steph's beard was when it first appeared – Dumbledore even admitted it wasn't 'as fine' as the ones Fred and George grew. However a small amount remained. Small uneven sections of stubble remained and Vicki thought it looked amusing against the rest of Steph's feminine features.

"Shut up, can you fix me? Madam Pomfrey gave me some potion to get rid of it, but it's slow working and refuses to let me know the secret on how to get it to work faster. You're a Healing nerd, you tell me what to do." Stephanie pleaded with Vicki.

Feeling she had joked enough about it, Vicki decided to help Stephanie. She placed her book bag on the bed and dug through until she found her bottle of perfume she carried around with her. Vicki sprayed it onto Stephanie and almost instantly the hair retracted into her face until she was completely hairless and smooth again.

"How the hell did you know how to do that? That's incredible!" Stephanie said in disbelief as she felt her bare face with her hands.

"Considering it was a spell that only stimulated facial hair growth it had to be a potion that had high levels of testosterone – it clearly wasn't a normal hair growth potion. This perfume is feminine – the femineity of the perfume fought the testosterone of the facial hair potion and won." Vicki explained.

Steph blinked and didn't respond to Vicki's query. As she grew up in the wizarding world she had not taken sex education and had no knowledge of what testosterone was and thus had no clue what Vicki was saying. Steph also decided she did not care – she was now beardless and that's all that mattered.

Steph gathered all of her things and dramatically opened the curtains. She scanned the room and saw Fred and George being treated by Madam Pomfrey as they drank the potion given to her. Grinning wickedly Steph approached them.

"Ooooh! You two look dreadful. It feels so good being beard free!" Steph teased, touching her bare face and flipped her hair as she laughed and exited the Hospital Wing.

Vicki did not follow Steph and instead sank into the chair that was next to Fred's bed.

"Which one of you walked through the Age Line first?" Madam Pomfrey asked the twins. Fred reluctantly put his hand up whilst George pointed to his twin.

"Unfortunately for you, you would have been hit with most of the magic so it'll take some time for the potion to work," Madam Pomfrey stated to Fred and then turned to George "As for you, you would have only received bits and pieces of the magic so within the next minutes you should be beardless and free to go."

"That's alright. If Vicki could get Fawcett from hiding behind a curtain to going around insulting others in the space of minutes she can heal me." Fred grinned.

"Sorry, no can do buck-a-roo. I only knew how to cure Steph as she's not the gender that usually has a beard. I'm no way near advanced to heal you faster than this potion." Vicki smiled sadly towards Fred.

George snorted and loudly mimicked Vicki to taunt Fred, using the word 'buck-a-roo' twenty times in the space of two minutes.

Madam Pomfrey abandoned the trio to tend to a bunch of second years that had injured themselves walking into a wall trying to spy on Krum. Vicki could see the truth in Madam Pomfrey's words. George's marvellous beard was now just chin stubble whilst Fred's beard hadn't moved at all. A few minutes later George was as bare as Stephanie was when she exited the hospital wing.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but I don't want to. I want to see if any other suckers try to cross the line and end up here, I also want to gawk at who enters." George said in a cocky manner as he got up from his bed.

"Wait! Can you do me a favour please?" Vicki asked sweetly as she handed George a note she had just scribbled.

"I'm not delivering love notes to Davies, no way. I'll never forget the Quiddich final of 1992 when that schmuck helped Ravenclaw win. You only won because Harry was in here, otherwise we would have wiped the floor." George argued loudly.

Fred tensed up at Vicki's request, Vicki assuming he was still sore about Gryffindor's defeat when they were in third year. However his mind was about to be put at ease.

"It's a faux love note actually and it's certainly not for Roger. Go to the owlery and send this to Bagman. I was meant to be meeting up with him today, remember? That certainly isn't going ahead anymore." Vicki responded.

George then had no hesitations and snatched the letter saying he would go send it on his way back to Gryffindor tower. He left the hospital wing and only Fred and Vicki were left.

"You don't need to stick around. I'm a big boy, I can take care of myself." Fred spoke up, not wanting Vicki to resent him for taking up her Saturday.

"I could make a quip along the lines of that being false as you're sitting in bed after being spoonfed potion by a matron. But I'll refrain. Besides, I like your company. You're one of my closest friends, I'm not going to leave you here alone." Vicki giggled.

Fred had never felt a more appropriate time to use the word "bittersweet" to describe his feelings. A year ago Vicki Hartwell was a girl in his year he'd sometimes spy on from across the room, a girl he'd secretly yearn for but never speak to. Now she considered him one of her closest friends. It was certainly a step up from not being on speaking terms, but the word 'friend' haunted him- even though he knew it shouldn't as she still had a boyfriend.

In Fred's silence Vicki continued on.

"You're going to think I'm such a weirdo for what I'm about to confess." Vicki nervously stated, trying to giggle to cover up how awkward she felt.

"Go on." Fred smiled, uncharacteristically welcoming what she was about to say warmly instead of making a sarcastic remark or poking fun.

"I used to sometimes watch the antics you and George got up to and really wished I could be friends with you both. I've always thought you were both really funny and wanted to know you better," Vicki stated as she went bright red in embarrassment "It seems weird now that we are actually friends, but yeah, back in the day I was always too shy to speak to you to become your friend."

Fred's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at Vicki's words as he didn't know how to respond. It was comforting for him to know at one point in time Vicki did similar things to what he did – watch her from afar wishing they were closer. It was however also a little disappointing to him – if she had plucked up the courage to speak to him a lot earlier would they have ended up together instead of her and Davies?

He considered also confessing what he had done in the previous year and how he used to wish they were also friends, but he did not feel confident in doing so and did not speak up.

"You shouldn't have been, even when you were still shy and relatively unknown by everyone else I still thought you were cool from the cauldron incident in first year. I would have been your friend." Fred shrugged.

The two of them then spent the rest of the afternoon conversing. Vicki shared some more information about her upbringing – how tough it was growing up as a witch in a muggle community and how the other kids were hard on her for being different. Rather than having a pity party Vicki looked at it positively – she could do magic and they couldn't, so she was the clear winner. She also mentioned the times she was unable to control her magic (as little kids can't) and her tormentors would find their pants splitting in half in public areas, or their favourite belongings appearing up a tree. It made Fred roar with laughter but he felt sympathy for Vicki – he had always grown up in the village. Whilst there were muggles closer to the village the Weasley had kept their distance and only conversed with the numerous wizarding families scattered around.

The topic then shifted to their houses at school. Fred and Vicki were sorted the same year, Vicki before Fred. Vicki shared the story of her sorting.

"I was a hatstall. My mother was a Hufflepuff but my father's side are a long line of Gryffindors. The hat said I suited Gryffindor but could see a tiny spark of Ravenclaw in me," Vicki explained and Fred snapped his head towards her at this revelation "Before the hat could make me an official Gryffindor I started arguing with it in my head. I'd always wanted to be in Ravenclaw so I grabbed onto the comment the hat said about the small spark and I fought valiantly."

"Clearly you got your way, that's the most rubbish story ever as the ending is ruined." Fred weakly smiled.

"Yep. After a few minutes the hat gave up and said that clearly I was a Ravenclaw." Vicki grinned.

They then began to describe each of their common rooms, perhaps in too much detail. Fred described Gryffindor tower – how the Fat Lady's portrait was at the end of a corridor and a password was entered to require. He explained the layout of the common room – and how everyone wanted the squishy couches next to the fire. He explained the dormitories – girls to the staircase on the left and boys to the right.

Vicki then began to describe the other house located in a tower. Ravenclaw tower had its entrance at the top of a spiral staircase after correctly answering a riddle. The common room was very light and airy, with many alcoves with books for students to sit and read in. The best part perhaps was the view – Ravenclaw tower was higher than its Gryffindor counterpart and faced more interesting views, overlooking the rest of the castle as well as the Quiddich pitch. Vicki explained all of this to Fred and he was in awe.

"Sorry Victoria, I'm going to have to now ask you to leave. Mr Weasley's face is now almost bare I just need to perform a quick spell to seal the magic. Besides, the feast will be starting soon."

Vicki jumped up and bid Fred farewell, wanting to get ready and head down to the Halloween feast as soon as possible. She had missed out on the good foods the previous night after having to greet Bagman and Crouch and was stuck with the leftovers, so tonight she planned to eat like a queen.

Half an hour later after quickly refreshing herself, Vicki sat at the Ravenclaw table with Stephanie, Roger, Phillip and a few of their other Ravenclaw friends. Vicki noticed two fifth year girls bravely sit in front of them. Vicki knew one of them loosely – Cho Chang was chosen by Roger the previous year to be the Ravenclaw seeker. She had always been pleasant in passing conversations so Vicki began to chat with Cho and was introduced to her friend Marietta. This suited Roger and Phillip as they were free to chat about things they couldn't talk about with the girls, mostly about some of the attractive girls from Beauxbatons.

After some of the other students arrived the feast began. Most students weren't as excited as usual for the Halloween feast as it was the second concurrent feast for the previous two nights but this just made Vicki happier as she had free reign over most of the food.

Eventually after all of the students had finished eating the plates were cleared. Most of Vicki's peers were fidgeting anxiously as they wanted to know who would be picked for champion and they were waiting impatiently. After she finished eating this excitement was now building for her too – she had her fingers crossed for Cedric, or if not her dear friend at least someone from Ravenclaw. She would never admit this to Lee or the twins but she was starting to grow a little tired of Gryffindor's constant glory.

Bagman kept trying to catch her eye and when he did he sent a wink her way. Vicki put on a very fake flirtatious smile and winked back, before quickly turning her back and coming up with the first topic she could think of with Stephanie, Cho and Marietta.

Dumbledore announced the cup was about to make its decision as he dimmed all of the torches bringing the Great Hall into darkness - but all this did was cause the students to become more impatient and anxious. The tension was so thick in the air it felt it could be sliced with a knife.

Vicki was uninterested when the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons champions were chosen. She feigned interest to be polite (rolling her eyes at the predictability of Krum being chosen for Durmstrang but giving a small cheer when Fleur was chosen – she had spoken with Fleur a couple of times since the Beauxbatons arrived and liked her enough) but finally it appeared the Hogwarts champion would be chosen.

The last of the pieces of parchments flew out of the cup and Dumbledore grabbed it eagerly. Vicki expected a dramatic pause but Dumbledore revealed the name pretty quickly.

"The Hogwarts champion," he called, "is Cedric Diggory!"

A happy riot broke out from the Hufflepuff table, the cheers deafening everybody sitting in the Great Hall. However one of the loudest cheers (although not audible over the collective yells) was coming from the Ravenclaw table. Vicki Hartwell was over the moon for her dear friend for being chosen as Hogwarts champion.


	19. Chapter 19

**I hope you guys like this one. This one shows the story is finally coming along and Fred's feelings might not be so one sided afterall, even if they both don't know it yet.**

 **Response to the reviews -**

 **Raven Woods 2003: I'm dreading the end of the school year too! :( I swear I'm probably going to cry when it comes to that time as I write it haha.**

 **Guest: as always thank you so much! I really enjoyed your review and how you were able to pick up on the similarities between the deep and meaningful conversations in both stories, and how much pure and genuine the one between Fred and Vicki was. I think you might like this chapter ;)**

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"Hey…Hermione?" Vicki asked nervously from the next table over the one the younger girl was sitting at.

Hermione looked up suspiciously. She and the older popular prefect were on fairly good terms. After spending a small amount of time together at the World Cup and due to the fact both frequented the library on a regular basis, sometimes they would sit at the same table and study. However this was the first time they had spoken since Harry was declared as the surprise fourth champion of the Triwizard Tournament.

Since then it seemed the entire school had turned against the Gryffindors out of rage and jealousy that once again, they received the limelight and the glory. With Vicki Hartwell being a ringleader of the popular group and one of Cedric Diggory's closest friends, Hermione was expecting to be hit with a blast of cold feelings from Vicki. She was correct in that Vicki was about to bring up Harry, but it certainly wouldn't be in a manner that Hermione could have predicted.

"Yes?" Hermione snapped at Vicki.

Vicki was caught off guard by Hermione's sudden annoyance but she still pressed on, knowing more was to come.

"How's Harry after well, you know. How is he holding up?" Vicki asked, cocking her head as the question left her mouth.

Hermione looked aghast and had trouble forming a sentence – out of both intimidation of the older girl, out of shock of the girl's brash question and out of irritation for what she was asking.

"He's doing well," Hermione sharply responded before adding on "for someone who is being treated quite unfairly by everybody else for being forced into something he didn't want to do in the first place!"

"I know, I know," Vicki defended raising her hands as this was the reaction she did expect "Hence why I'm asking. Dumbledore is a genius, there's no way he would have been able to get over that line, or even negotiate someone else to do it for him."

"Y-you believe he didn't organise this?" Hermione stuttered out in disbelief, after all Vicki was truly the first student aside from herself to come to the conclusion Harry hadn't entered the tournament of his own accord. She was shocked, but overjoyed. If Vicki could believe Harry certainly others could too.

"Of course he didn't. I don't condone bullying, you know. Despite what you probably think of me, I've been the target of some really cruel bullying in the past and I think it's horrible. Unfortunately no one is really listening to me, but the seeds of doubt are being sown." Vicki responded, sending a wink to Hermione to lighten up her sombre statement.

Hermione wanted to bring up the topic of bullying that Vicki mentioned but being clever herself Hermione knew it was inappropriate as Vicki had tried to move away with a light-hearted ending to her statement. Instead she just sent a small smile towards Vicki.

"I'm sure it might cheer up Harry to know someone is on his side. Thank you." Hermione beamed towards Vicki.

Vicki contemplated mentioning that although she believed Harry and wouldn't participate in the bullying that was coming his way – she was still cheering for Cedric as Hogwarts champion. She decided it wasn't the best comment to make and instead just stayed silent and mirrored Hermione's smile.

"I knew I'd find you here, bookworm. I need to talk to you." A familiar redhead said as he took a seat next to Vicki.

Hermione looked between the two. She wasn't able to tell the two twins apart but she knew that Fred and Vicki had become very good friends and knew their chattering would be a distraction, figuring that Fred had come to spend time with Vicki. Besides, she knew Harry would like to hear that someone influential believed him, finally one thing was going his way this week. She packed up her books and excused herself promptly, leaving the two alone.

"So George, what could you possibly need to talk to me about?" Vicki asked, sounding amused at George's sudden presence.

"How do you know I'm George?" The twin grinned mischievously.

"I dunno. I've always been able to tell the difference between you two. I know you're identical and share almost every single gene, but I just can. I think one of you has a bigger forehead." Vicki giggled

"Well which one of us has the bigger forehead?" George quickly asked, in a half-annoyed half-amused fashion.

"I'll let you decide." Vicki shrugged, trying to remain casual but was having trouble stifling her laughter and let out a loud and unattractive snort.

George considered pressing on but knew Vicki was trying to get a rise out of him so he decided to let it go. He also had more pressing matters to discuss with her, hence why he was spending a perfectly good Saturday evening in the library rather than doing something more fun.

"Can we go somewhere a bit more…neutral? The library makes me nervous." George asked suddenly.

"You have a phobia of books? Seriously?" Vicki asked in disbelief, to which George shook his head.

"No, that's not it. See how poor the lighting is from the torches on the wall? It reminds me that as dim as the lighting is in here sometimes, it's still brighter than my future." George joked loudly.

Vicki let out a loud laugh that echoed off the stone walls. The two watched Madam Pince the strict librarian look over disapprovingly and begin to march over to where they were seated. Without warning Vicki quickly packed her books and scooped them up in her arms and followed George, making a beeline for the door.

"This is a library, not a zoo! You might not take your education seriously, but many others in this library do!" Madam Pince screamed at both Vicki and George.

Vicki went to bow her head and apologise. She wasn't a big fan of Madam Pince (although you'd be hard pressed to find someone who was) but as a prefect and a model student she feared being on the bad side of a staff member. George on the other hand also had never been a fan of Madam Pince but did not care what the strict woman thought of him. Therefore he was the one to speak up before Vicki could get an apology in.

"If you care so much about peace and quiet why are you the one running after us to yell?" George teased as he and Vicki slipped through the doors and made a break for it, leaving Madam Pince to stutter in disbelief and anger.

George cringed as he expected Vicki to be cross with him. He didn't mind Vicki, he thought she went alright, but there were two main reasons why he didn't want to be on her bad side. He needed her to help retrieve the money he and Fred were attempting to get back from Bagman. Most importantly he knew it would cause issues with Fred if Vicki were to think unfavourably of George.

It was very rare for Fred and George to have an altercation that wasn't in jest, but George knew that Victoria Hartwell was a subject matter that could cause Fred to fight with him. Fred wasn't too vocal about his feelings towards Vicki, choosing to not discuss much with his twin. But from what George had picked up it was more than just a simple crush. George had a feeling there was a possibility Fred was in love with her but didn't want to admit it, but then again George realised he himself had no idea what love looked like and thus hadn't attempted to even ask Fred about it.

Instead Vicki laughed even harder as the two ran down the corridor in attempt to get away from the library as quickly as possible.

"Maybe I became friends with the wrong twin. You're funny," Vicki laughed towards George, but then finally something dawned on her "Hang on, where is Fred anyway? I take it you've found me to ask about Bagman, why isn't Fred with you?"

"Your boring-ness has rubbed off onto him. He's in the common room with Ange working on their charms homework together, he wants to get it done tonight so we can work on new products for our joke shop line tomorrow." George responded.

Vicki had to stop herself from narrowing her eyes out of jealousy. She felt a little hurt that Fred had never offered to do homework with her before but apparently was perfectly happy doing homework with other people. She had even run into him earlier in the day and had a quick chat, and she mentioned she would be working on outstanding homework in the library that night and yet Fred hadn't brought up that he too would be working on his coursework and had not offered to work together with her.

Vicki then dismissed these thoughts as she realised she was being unreasonable. Perhaps Fred didn't like working in the library and Vicki didn't blame him – she had never set foot in the Gryffindor common room but guessed it was nicer than having Madam Pince breathing down their necks. She also remembered a conversation she had once had as well that involved the topic of Fred and Angelina.

"Ange – as in Angelina Johnson? He used to have a bit of a thing for her didn't he? Good on him." Vicki grinned towards George as they found a bench seat outside of a classroom and took a seat. The corridors were empty as it was nearly curfew, but George still found himself looking around furiously in case their conversation was overheard.

"Tell you that did he?" George weakly grinned, growing very uncomfortable with where the conversation was heading but didn't know how to steer away from it.

"Nope," Vicki responded, popping the 'p' "Roger did. Last year when we first got together the topic of Quiddich romances came up. He told me after a Ravenclaw-Gryffindor Quiddich game back in fourth year before they cancelled the games, he was coming out of the change rooms and heard Fred and Lee arguing about Angelina. Fred apparently wanted to ask her out and asked for Lee's permission as the entire school knows Lee has a crush on her, and it clearly didn't end well."

George shot a grimace at the memory. Even though it had only been two years, it felt like a lifetime ago that Angelina was the one Fred liked. They weren't feelings that lasted very long and they were no way near as intense or passionate as what Fred now felt for Vicki, but once upon a time Fred did hold feelings for Angelina. It was a topic that was making George feel uncomfortable. Even though Vicki had a boyfriend and nothing could happen between Fred and Vicki right now, he still felt it wasn't appropriate to discuss Fred with another girl.

George decided to go with his strength, which was to stir the pot. He would derail the conversation by pushing the boundaries about Roger.

"How's Mr Davies going anyway? I don't see you two together as often as I used to. Last year it seemed you were attached at the hip, or should I say lips? This year, I see you more with Diggory and my dear twin brother. Trouble in paradise?" George smiled to Vicki, sitting slouched with his hands entwined but looking up at Vicki cheekily.

Vicki moved her mouth to the side deep in thought and furrowed her eyebrows. She thought about getting angry at George for asking such a sensitive topic. If it were Fred she wouldn't think anything of it – as one of her closest friends he had the right to ask personal questions. But even though George was identical to Fred, he wasn't Fred and therefore didn't share the same special friendship with Vicki as his brother. But from the few times she had hung out with both brothers she knew this was just George's personality and he didn't mean any harm and wasn't attempting to gossip. Therefore Vicki didn't care.

"I'd call it evolving to the next stage of the relationship. Last year it was the honeymoon phase. This year we're comfortable enough in our relationship to do a few things separately. We both lead such busy lives – we're both prefects, Roger usually has Quiddich and we both work so hard to get good marks. Unfortunately you gotta grow up sometime, we're already maturing in our relationship." Vicki explained to George.

George wanted to make a tongue-in-cheek comment about sounding like a boring old married couple but instead something else slipped out. Fred didn't talk much about his feelings for Vicki but one common complaint lately was that Fred didn't feel Roger was 'deserving' of Vicki. He kept whinging Roger was following the good looking blonde-haired Beauxbatons student around like a lost puppy and Fred had witnessed him brush off Vicki on a number of occasions. With those comments swimming in his mind, George accidentally let out an inappropriate one of his own.

"Where does that Beauxbatons girl fit into the equation? Apparently Roger has been spending a lot of time with her. Does a third party in the relationship count as evolving?" George laughed.

"What are you trying to say? Fleur is pretty cool, we all hang out at meal times. Even Stephanie joins us, it took her a while to warm up to Fleur because yes, Fleur is beautiful and Steph was jealous. But it's not just Roger, we all do." Vicki stated, sounding more defensive than she intended to.

"Yeah, but not in the same way as Roger. There's talk going around he's into her. Surely you've noticed, right?" George asked, Vicki's defensive manner getting lost on him.

Vicki's eyes narrowed towards George. She was fine with George asking light personal questions as she knew he meant no malice, but this was getting too heavy for her. She still wasn't angry at George, but she wanted to now terminate the conversation.

He had also bought up things that Vicki hadn't noticed until now. Vicki and Fleur got along really well but now that Vicki thought about it, she realised Roger always scrambled to get the seat next to her at meal times, and always seemed to talk about Fleur non-stop, even finding excuses to bring her up.

Vicki had to withhold a gasp. George was right – it was mostly one-sided but Roger obviously had inappropriate feelings for Fleur, and it seemed like the entire school knew – everyone but her. George wasn't the person she wanted to have this conversation with. Even if it was his twin brother she were speaking to right now she wouldn't want to speak to him either. This was a conversation she felt would be best suited for Cedric.

"Yeah, well…" Vicki shrugged, and George now took the hint that Vicki wasn't impressed with where this conversation was headed. He was happy he had successfully moved the topic away from Fred's love life with relative ease, but now he was fearful he had upset her.

"I won't waste any more of your Saturday night," George quickly stated and attempted to bring some more humour to cheer her up "I instead propose to waste your Sunday afternoon. What do you say we get together with Fred tomorrow and discuss the next instalment in our little Bagman plan?"

Vicki smiled a little, feeling a bit bad for being annoyed towards George. She decided the best thing to do was go to bed and get some rest, and tomorrow she would speak with Cedric about this new dilemma that had presented itself.

"Sounds good. In that case I'm going to go rest up. I'll catch up with you lads tomorrow." Vicki said to George, jumping off the seat they were seated on as she began to head off in one direction to Ravenclaw tower.

"Looking forward to it. Night Vicki." George smirked as he felt relieved Vicki wasn't being cold towards him.

"Goodnight George. Can you tell Fred I said to say goodnight as well?" Vicki asked sweetly.

"Sure thing, chicken wing." George winked as he headed the opposite way, departing from Vicki.

He trotted back to Gryffindor Tower, wanting to get there quickly in order to speak with his twin about the conversation he had just had with Fred's obsession. George gave the Fat Lady the password to get into the common room and stepped inside.

As it was a Saturday night the Gryffindor common room was very busy. It was very close to curfew so essentially nearly every Gryffindor student were seated within that room. George scanned the room and saw Angelina and Fred sitting near the fire. They had some textbooks open but were both talking and laughing heartily. George considered not interrupting them for a moment but he knew he had news for Fred that could not wait.

"Hello Ange, hope you're having a nice evening," George greeted Angelina politely before turning to Fred "Sorry to interrupt, but I have some things I really need to talk to you about."

"You can go, I don't mind. I'm a bit sick of homework actually, it might be nice to get back to the girls." Angelina responded.

Fred however, wasn't happy with his brother's attempt at dragging him away.

"You can get Alicia and Katie to come sit with us, we have prime seats next to the fire. I'm sure whatever George has to say can wait." Fred piped up.

Angelina looked uncomfortable as she looked between the two. She didn't mind if Fred departed to speak with George, but he had a point, they had very good seats right next to the fire which was rare for a Saturday night, and it seemed a shame to give them up.

"Fine. I'm going to bed. I made plans to spend time with Vicki tomorrow, so I need to rest up. She said to say good night to you, by the way." George said attempting to say it in a nonchalant manner, hiding a huge grin as he saw anger and disbelief wash over his twin's face.

George smirked as he strode up to his dormitory, and as expected the sixth year boy's dorm was empty, as no one wanted to go to bed at nine o' clock on a Saturday night. Less than two minutes later Fred had appeared, clearly no longer fussed about giving up the squishy armchairs near the fire.

"What on earth happened tonight? When did you become so close with Vicki?" Fred asked suspiciously, storming in and standing in front of George.

"Take a seat. I have many-a-tale to tell you about my adventure tonight." George grinned, sitting on his bed and indicating for Fred to sit on his own bed next to George's.

Fred grumbled, clearly unhappy with George and that George was not getting to the point. He however knew this would be the only way to get his twin to talk, and he obliged and sat down on the bed.

From there George told Fred everything. He mentioned that he felt Vicki acted a little strange if just for a second when he informed her that Fred was working with Angelina. He also told Fred about how he pushed Vicki's buttons a little and how shocked she seemed when he pointed out how Roger had been behaving. He also mentioned she specifically wanted him to say goodnight to Fred.

"What are you trying to say by telling me all of this? From the moment you found out that I fancied Vicki you kept trying to encourage me to move on. In fact, you're the one who suggested I catch up with Ange tonight." Fred barked at George.

"Look, sorry. I don't know Vicki well but from what I had seen I thought she was madly in love with Roger. That may have been the case in the past, but clearly there are cracks in their relationship and it doesn't look like they may last much longer. I wouldn't say you're clearly in with her, but she obviously thinks very highly of you." George responded.

"I still don't get what you're trying to say." Fred stated, cheekily smiling as he was trying to dig for as much information from George as possible, very happy about what he was hearing.

"As cool as I think Vicki is, I still think you should move on as you don't know how long it may take for her to break up with Roger and then for her to be ready to go out with someone else," George spoke up, but then continued on before Fred could angrily interrupt "That being said, I don't think you're wasting your time. If you think she's worth waiting for, I think one day she'll be yours."

"She is – she's worth it." Fred smiled widely.

George shot his brother an odd look. Fred never spoke about his feelings or anything else sentimental with anybody, but here he was choking up about a girl. George had not shared many special moments with Fred on this calibre, as the opportunity would not come around again George decided to take it further.

He jumped off his bed and dug through his trunk at the end of his bed. He pulled out something wrapped in brown paper and handed it to Fred.

Fred shot George a quizzical look but ripped open the paper to see a book inside. _Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches._

"I was going to give it to you for our birthday and make a loud comment about how you clearly need it as you're the ugly twin, but I think you'll find it more useful now." George grinned towards Fred.

Fred was speechless. He really appreciated this gesture from George and didn't know how to express his gratitude. He said nothing but quickly grabbed his brother into a man-hug, letting go moments later.

George smiled too. Even though Fred hadn't said anything he didn't had to. George knew his brother was over the moon for what he had just done. George decided now was the time to bring the moment to the close and bring in some humour.

"As the good-looking twin, giving you this book was the least I could do," George joked, earning a large shove from Fred in protest before continuing on "Let's give this book to Ron one day in front of the whole family."


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates. I'm now finished my one exam so I'll be able to update more. I'm currently on holiday in Adelaide and my fiance is doing uni work so I thought I'd squeeze in an update before the concert tonight.**

 **In response to the reviews:**

 **ForeverTeamEdward: Thanks for the kind words :) hope you enjoy this one.**

 **xArchMage: The Yule Ball is indeed coming, and it will indeed be very dramatic. I've been excited to write about it since I started this story and now it's coming very shortly, I'm very keen!**

 **grueneHimbeere: Thanks for your lovely review! I really appreciate it.**

 **Guest: As always, thank you so much. You know much I always appreciate your reviews, and it's so lovely you'd wait so you'd have the time to write such a lengthy one. I hope your commitments are lightning up too - how's your cert going?**

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Vicki found herself waiting outside the Greenhouses on a fairly cool Autumn's night. After writing to Bagman the previous week he informed her that he'd once again be attending Hogwarts for tournament duties. Vicki wrote back informing him she'd make sure this time she were available and she later joked to Fred and George they weren't allowed to grow beards again to ruin the plan.

"Psst, Vicki. How much longer is this going to take? It's cold and I don't want last dibs on dinner." Fred whinged in a loud whisper, coming from around the other side of the greenhouse.

"I don't know, he said they should be done by five thirty but it's now six fifteen, so clearly they're running late weighing the wands." Vicki snapped, she wasn't annoyed at Fred but rather just in a bad mood at being left waiting in the cold by someone not worth waiting for.

Vicki had accompanied Cedric to the weighing of the wands, as Bagman had once again requested she be there but Vicki knew she needed to look inconspicuous about it. Fleur Delacour was unhappy about Vicki's presence when she arrived with Cedric and even shot a dirty look when Rita Skeeter rushed over and shot questions in a panic towards Vicki, asking if her and Cedric were teenage sweethearts, Bagman's head also shot up at this line of questioning.

Vicki being quite clever saw an opportunity rise at that point. Fleur and Cedric had formally met before then – the night they were chosen as champions. But as a close friend of Cedric and a loose friend of Fleur's she felt a strongly suggestive introduction between the two champions was the right move. It was a small kind gesture to Fleur – but it was really more of a favour to Cedric.

Whilst Cedric had been good natured about Harry Potter being chosen as a second Hogwarts champion, when Vicki was alone with Cedric she could read between the lines and see deep inside he was a bit miffed about it. Vicki believed he wasn't annoyed for personal reasons but was annoyed for the strong feelings he had towards his school house. This was due to the fact the Hufflepuff house were once again overshadowed, to add insult to the injury it was by the house (Gryffindor) that had received all the glory for the last few years. Therefore if Vicki could start a rumour for a great story involving a possible romance flowering between two champions it would take some of the attention away from Harry and back onto Cedric – which Vicki knew would be helping Harry too as the bullying had intensified, people were now wearing horrible badges saying "Potter Stinks" alongside messages of support for Cedric.

As Cedric and Fleur began to chat Vicki stepped away and waved to catch Rita Skeeter's attention, nodding her head towards Cedric and Fleur. Rita seemed interested but before she could get her photographer to take a photo or jot some notes down Harry stepped in and Rita suddenly couldn't care less about the other champions, grabbing Harry and shoving him into a broom cupboard.

Vicki wanted to speak up and make an inappropriate joke about the older woman sneaking into a cupboard with a very underage Harry but she realised no one was left to speak to – Fleur and Cedric were very much submerged in conversation. So she quickly rushed over to Bagman to make plans with him to meet her at the Greenhouses once they had finished weighing the wands. The Greenhouses would be deserted come dinner time so it was a good place for Vicki and Bagman to 'talk' and have the twins ambush him moments later.

She luckily made her last class in time which was Defence Against the Dark Arts. Moody was still making them all sit in the same spot each class, Vicki now thought it was less about teaching the class about 'constant vigilance' (If he were a cartoon character that would be his catchphrase) and more about his paranoia and mitigating risks – by knowing exactly where each student would sit every lesson. Vicki didn't mind about the arrangement. It meant she got to sit in a row each lesson with Fred, George and Lee. So therefore she was easily able to make plans with the twins about heading to the greenhouses after the lesson to wait for Bagman, which is how she got herself stuck in the cold waiting for someone she did not care for, in the company (almost) of those she did.

"Hello?" The twins and Vicki heard an older male call out nearby.

Vicki used a hand for each twin and shoved them around the corner. The last thing Fred saw before he disappeared out of sight was Vicki leaning against the wall of the Greenhouse in a suggestive manner. He didn't know whether to stifle laughter at how serious she was taking her role in their scheme or be physically sick at what her role contained. But he and George waited around the corner of the greenhouse and listened into the exchange.

"Yeah, I'm here," Vicki called out, but then used a softer voice and cooed "and you're late."

"Sorry beautiful, but duty called. Say, are you still with that schmuck of a boyfriend?" Bagman responded, leaning against the greenhouse wall himself and stared at the much younger girl.

"Yeah," Vicki said confidently "For now. I don't know how much longer we'll last."

"When you want a real man, and after you turn seventeen definitely send me an owl." Bagman growled lowly, a sly smile appearing on his face.

"Why?" Vicki asked suddenly. She meant for it to come out in a sultry flirty manner, but as she was trying her hardest to not laugh it came out as a large sarcastic joke.

"Let's just say that when you become of real age, you won't want to play with little boys anymore. I can be the real man that can make you a real woman." Bagman purred towards Vicki.

Vicki was silent, she knew if she spoke up she would double over in laughter. What Bagman was saying was disgusting and she knew this, but she saw the humour in it. It was so horrible she thought it was funny due to how sleazy the situation was. But she couldn't laugh. If she laughed and the Weasley twins then showed up, she would lose all future bargaining power with Bagman should Fred and George not get what they needed today.

She was still hoping they'd appear soon. She couldn't take much of this terrible flirting anymore and keep a straight face. Fred also couldn't take much of hearing Bagman's creepy advances towards Vicki, but unlike her he didn't see the humour in it and wanted to end it as soon as possible. Without warning he jumped out and strode up to Vicki and Bagman.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw Vicki leaning against the wall and Bagman very close to her. He was unhappy with this. Bagman who had heard the approaching noise turned around to see Fred (and George who soon joined him) and looked like a deer caught in headlights. Vicki on the other hand sent the twins a wink as appreciation for them stepping in.

"Hello Mr Bagman, fancy seeing you here." George grinned towards Bagman.

"And you're in the company of the very beautiful Victoria Hartwell. Lucky man, she's quite the stunner." Fred piped up, sending a wink towards both Vicki and Bagman, although there was truth in his words.

Vicki let out a snort but was thankful it wasn't audible to Bagman. She did however play her part in their scheme. The twins appearing out of nowhere was supposed to be a shock to her as well, not a carefully planned plot.

"Thanks for the compliment, Weasley. As a prefect and aspiring Head Girl, I was looking after our very important guest for this year and showing him the grounds, as he needs to know for the Triwizard Tournament," Vicki stated quickly, pretending to be thinking quick on her feet "What are you two doing then, skulking around?"

"We have very important things to discuss with Mr Bagman, actually." Fred said in a faux cool voice stepping up to Vicki's acting job.

"Therefore we can take the tour from here." George added on in a cheeky manner.

"Actually boys, I'm in very capable hands thank you very much. How about we set up a power lunch sometime to talk business?" Bagman quickly spoke up, putting a hand on the small of Vicki's back as he attempted to begin to move her away from the prying twins.

George went to back off. After all Hogsmeade weekend was coming up and if given an opportunity for lunch with Bagman they could have a talk man-to-man to mention he had accidentally given them Leprechaun's gold instead of real gold. Maybe they could even talk him into investing into their shop they were currently building.

Fred on the other hand wasn't convinced. He had been ignoring their owls since the World Cup – why would he suddenly be interested in a meeting? Fred also didn't want to take his chances on leaving Vicki alone with Bagman.

"Oh no, we insist." George spoke up after looking at his brother and seeing the serious look on his face. He understood that Fred wanted to stay put.

"No time like the present, right? Time is money, so wasted time is wasted money," Fred joked but then took on a darker tone "Or would you rather just be in the company of someone as pretty as Vicki."

"You're weird," Vicki scoffed towards Fred but then quickly turned to Bagman "I can see you're in good hands. I'll be off."

Vicki then turned away to depart, not before sending the twins a sly wink as she pretended to storm off in a hurry. Bagman went to quickly follow her stating he wanted to be her in her company, but before he could follow her properly Fred and George blocked his path with their arms crossed with grins on both of their faces.

Vicki trudged back up the castle and didn't take a single look behind her. When she was back in the entrance hall she then burst into laughter, letting it all out, the humour she had been containing in her mind since she had met up with Bagman.

She composed herself when she saw Cedric stroll over to her with an amused look on his face. She could tell he wanted to ask why she cackling alone in a big empty hall by herself. She really wanted to tell him but she couldn't betray the twins – she had already sworn to secrecy about their plans of getting Bagman alone so they could confront him.

"What's funny?" Cedric asked with a smile, Vicki could tell he wasn't being nosey but wanted her to share the information with him as a friend.

"Oh, it was just some kind of inside joke thing with the twins just before. They were pretending they didn't know me well with this older er, student who was trying to flirt with me. It sounds silly, but it was funny at the time but I couldn't laugh so it just all came out afterwards." Vicki responded quickly.

Cedric went to make a witty retort however at that exact moment a group of girls were coming out of the Great Hall as they had finished dinner. Cedric was now on par with Krum for popularity with female students. He had always been fairly sought after as a good looking boy who also happened to be Hufflepuff Quiddich captain and also prefect. But being the school champion (as majority of the school did not see Harry as a champion) brought him up to a whole new level.

Cedric's popularity used to be on par with Roger – as Roger too was a handsome Quiddich captain also turned prefect last year. But Cedric had well and truly surpassed Roger in terms of popularity. Roger had always gotten on well with Cedric as they belonged to the same social circle and they were on very good terms but Vicki could tell it was bothering Roger. That's why it took Vicki by surprise when she had the conversation with George that there was trouble in their relationship. She thought Roger was just being distant due to his loss in popularity but she knew now there were perhaps other reasons. Even if there wasn't, it still wasn't acceptable for him to shut her out this way.

"Cedric! How are you going?" One of the girls quickly yelled out, racing over to where Vicki and Cedric were standing.

"and it's our favourite girl in the entire school, Victoria. How are you going? You and Roger are just so cute together." Another one of the girls squealed.

Vicki had anticipated that the other girls in the school would turn against her after Cedric was named champion. Her and Cedric were now quite close and spent a lot of time together, therefore Vicki thought the other girls would become jealous and see her as an obstacle to get to Cedric. However the opposite happened, the girls of the school realised Vicki could instead be a tool to use to get to Cedric. They didn't see Vicki as a threat as they thought Vicki was in a happy relationship with Roger. Instead to the girls Vicki was an opportunity. If they could get to Vicki they could get to Cedric. Therefore Vicki's popularity had also skyrocketed – even though she was already quite a sought after girl.

"Hi girls, how are you going…" Vicki trailed off. Vicki wasn't a particularly mean person and was nice enough to their faces, but behind closed doors she'd always go to town on how fake she felt they all were, Cedric had heard it all. He normally agreed with her but he kept his complaints vague, as he felt flattered for the support as champion. He was too polite to speak ill of his supporters behind their back, but certainly didn't look down on Vicki for doing so.

"We're good, we're good. Say, why don't you and Ced come hang with us. We'll find an empty classroom and we can just chill." One of the girls quickly responded, wrapping an arm around Cedric's arm.

Vicki could see he was holding back a wince at the unwanted advance and Vicki raised her eyebrow at him. Surely now he would vocally agree with her that these girls were leeches. Cedric wouldn't be speaking up about that now, but he certainly spoke up in an attempt to shake off the girls.

"I would absolutely love to, and I'm sure Victoria would as well. However I desperately need her help – Triwizard Tournament stuff. I'd love to take a raincheck though." Cedric quickly responded.

"…as would I! I love you guys." Vicki quickly added on, lying through her teeth but showing a bright smile on her face to hide her untruthfulness.

The girls sighed but said they understood, giving some more small talk before departing from the Entrance Hall, leaving Cedric and Vicki alone once more, only a few people coming here and there leaving from the Great Hall after dinner.

"Come on, I know this great unused classroom that Fred Weasley showed me a while ago." Vicki mentioned as she began to stride off, Cedric hot on her heels.

Five minutes later Vicki burst into the classroom that Fred showed her a couple of months ago that apparently 'rejected' teachers should they try and teach in it. Cedric looked around amused as Vicki took a seat on top of a desk. Ceric pulled out a chair and sat opposite her.

"So…Diggory. Anything you needed to talk about in particular as you called this meeting? Because I'd like to put something on the agenda also." Vicki spoke up in a joking manner.

"I uh…yeah I have some things I'd like to speak about. But you go first." Cedric smiled at his friend.

Vicki studied Cedric's face for a moment. She had been wanting to speak to him about what she was about to bring up for a few days, but she still didn't feel the urgency.

"Are you sure?" Vicki asked Cedric as she bit her lip feeling a little awkward.

Cedric nodded. Although Vicki didn't feel she had to go first it appeared that Cedric wanted her to, and she was given the stage. She thought of the best way to describe her current predicament she was having with Roger and where she should begin, and then she finally started explaining her feelings.

"I think the whole Roger and I concept is at the end of its lifetime." Vicki began to explain.

Cedric just cocked his head at her and Vicki understood exactly what this action meant. He needed it explained further.

"I don't think my relationship with Roger will last much longer. I think both of our feelings have changed. He's been all over that Fleur girl from Beauxbatons and honestly, even though it's just a friendship thing I spend most of my time with you, Steph or even sometimes Fred Weasley. I don't even miss Roger even though I sometimes don't spend time with him for days. That's not a normal relationship." Vicki frowned.

Cedric sighed and ran his hand through his golden locks as he contemplated whether to speak up and tell his friend the truth or to keep quiet to not upset her. As it was a very raw conversation they were having he felt it was best to tell her how he really felt.

"I've noticed the flirting with Fleur myself. I don't think he's being very fair towards you. It's very disrespectful. Honestly, you can do much better than that and I hope you know it." Cedric explained.

"Roger's behaviour is poor, yes. I really should call him out on it but I've almost been too fearful as I haven't been a perfect girlfriend either. I haven't shown him much affection this school year, or even told him how much he means to me. I don't set aside time for him either. Even George Weasley pointed this out to me and we're not even very close friends or in the same house." Vicki stated.

"It's still no excuse. If he's concerned about the intimacy in your relationship he should be voicing these concerns and not by attempting to get his kicks elsewhere. I'm a bit worried about you actually. I hope you're not staying with Roger because you're afraid of being alone. Victoria Hartwell could get pretty much any guy in this school, not that it matters because you should be happy with yourself first." Cedric spoke up.

"I-it's not that I'm afraid of being alone or anything like that!" Vicki rebutted almost sounding annoyed before she calmed down and continued "It's hard to explain. Once upon a time I was so crazily in love with Roger, it was almost ridiculous. I feel like if I acknowledge the disrepair our relationship has fallen into, it will be the end. I know we'll never get the feelings back that we once had, but I don't want to admit it. Well, until now."

"Okay Vicki. I just don't want to see you get hurt. You're um...I'd quite honestly say you're my best friend right now and I really care about you." Cedric confessed with a weak smile on his face.

This lifted Vicki's spirits immensely and she began to feel a bit bad for getting annoyed with him a few moments ago. She shot him a smile before she felt comfortable leaning her head on his shoulder. It was a purely platonic moment for the both of them but a very close one for the two as well.

"Don't tell Steph because she'll get offended, but you're also my best friend now. It's really crazy, up until a few months ago we rarely spoke, now you mean so much to me," Vicki mentioned "Look at us, we're like two pre-teen girls in a cheesy American muggle movie."

"Alright. You're the only one I will admit what I'm about to admit to. Partly because we're now officially best friends – but also because you're probably the best person to tell. But I wanted to speak to you about the fact I've developed a crush on someone in your house." Cedric admitted, his face turning red.

Vicki shot her head up and looked at him before finding herself in a fit of giggles. She partly amused because as a teenage girl the discussion of crushes and relationships made her feel giddy. But she was also entertained by the sight of the always polite but usually suave and confident Cedric Diggory being reduced to embarrassment and his face turning bright red.

"Oh god, you like a Ravenclaw? Please don't tell me Steph. It's Steph, right? She'll drop Stebbins for you but only because you're Hogwarts champion. Do you really want to be with someone that shallow?" Vicki gushed, raising her hands to her mouth in shock.

"No! I mean no offense as Stephanie Fawcett is a good friend of yours, but I've grown up in the same village as her, she's definitely...well, she's definitely not my type. No, it's not her. She's a fifth year actually, you might know her, she's on the Quiddich team." Cedric stuttered out.

It took two seconds for Vicki to work out who Cedric was referring to. Someone who would be his type, a fifth year and on the Quiddich team. There was only one girl who ticked all the boxes.

"Cho Chang. She's insanely pretty isn't she? Good choice. Let's sit here and work out how to get you two together. Not that you need my help, as stated before you're Hogwarts champion and quite the looker." Vicki gushed.

Cedric was incapable of speech as his face turned even more red. This allowed Vicki to gush further.

"You two are going to make such a beautiful couple. Everyone always says Roger and I are the best looking couple at Hogwarts. I'd be worried our title is going to be taken over by you and Miss Chang if Roger and I weren't about to most likely split up." Vicki joked using self deprecating humour.

Cedric frowned at his friend. He was happy she could make a joke about it, but he was still worried that under the farce she had created she was most likely not doing too well. He decided to stop voicing his concerns and remain silent for Vicki's wellbeing. She was now off the topic of her and Roger and was still happily babbling on about his feelings for Cho. He was glad she looked so happy whilst doing so.


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey everyone! Sorry about the lack of updates - things have been crazy and I also lost a bit of motivation, but I'm going to try and update regularly again!**

 **If you read my other story (Let's Live It Up) you're in for a bit of a treat next chapter, just thought I'd give you that small info in exchange for leaving this one on a cliffhanger.**

 **In response to the reviews:**

 **ForeverTeamEdward13: Thank you for your review :) I agree Fred is a million times better, and every chapter we're getting closer to Vicki and Fred action. I've decided to accelerate it a little as well, from here on in I think I'm going to write longer chapters to try and make it happen within the next few chapters.**

 **Guest (I'll refer to you as Guest A as there are 2 guest reviewers): Your comment made me so happy when I read it. I've tried to make Vicki and Cedric's friendship nice, and strictly platonic. So I'm glad the message is being received.**

 **Guest B: Not gonna lie, pretty damn jealous you're moving to NYC, I've always wanted to live there! Are you moving from the West Coast? How's the change? Have you gotten your exam results back yet? I just got mine back, I passed woooo! Wedding planning is annoying, I can't wait to be married - I want the marriage more than the wedding, I'm regretting not having a quick and easy backyard wedding haha. Thanks for the kind words as always - means sooo much to me. Especially as I got a review saying pretty much the opposite on the other story...**

 **grueneHimbeere: Thank you so much! I also appreciate your commentary on my characters and for sharing your thoughts. As stated above I'm going to accelerate things a little to get things moving, I might have to write a few longer chapters but I think it's starting to get a bit boring how slow it's moving.**

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"Hello Vicki, how are you going?" Graham Montague asked Victoria as he took a seat at the Ravenclaw table, forcing Steph to shoot him a dirty look as he sat between her and Vicki, forcing her to scoot over.

"Hey Graham, I feel like I never see you anymore. How are you? Got any plans for Hogsmeade today?" Vicki asked politely, munching on her cereal and trying to keep her mouth closed as she chewed to not make Graham feel uncomfortable. She didn't want milk dribbling down her chin as they spoke.

"I'm seeing my nan actually. We're going for a drink at the Hogs Head. I'd invite you to come by but I suppose you'll be spending the time with Davies?" Graham asked, trying to not look too hopeful that Vicki would not be seeing Roger today. Quite a few students had now noticed the rift growing between Vicki and Roger, including the very keen Graham Montague.

Vicki smiled towards one of her oldest school friends. She thought it spoke volumes about his character. He was willing to give up one of the precious few Hogsmeade trips they got each year to spend time with his grandmother. She thought it was very sweet.

"Aw! Well uh, yeah I am seeing Roger. He wants to attempt to patch things up between us. However if um, well if for any reason it gets cut short, whether we fix things easily or um, things deteriorate, I'll come find you." Vicki responded sounding a little awkward about sharing this with Montague.

Graham sent her a bittersweet smile back towards her. He was happy she was considering spending time with him today. Like some of the boys (and a few girls for Roger's sake) in the school he was excited that there was a very real possibility that Vicki and Roger would soon be no more. But he didn't like to think there was still a small shimmer of hope between the two.

"Well I hope to see you. I better head down to see nan, we're meant to be meeting at quarter to eleven but now it's already ten and you know what old people are like, they're always so early and chastise you for being late even if you're five minutes early. See you." Graham stated as he rolled his eyes but sent her a smirk as he jumped up and strode out of the Great Hall.

Stephanie slid back over back to where she was seated before Graham squeezed his way in between her and Vicki. She said nothing to Vicki but just wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh, shut up." Vicki stated in an annoyed voice.

"Seriously I'd think about it if I were you. That boy has had the hots for you for years, and lo' and behold he has gotten quite hot himself." Steph responded in a sing-song voice.

Vicki just shook her head and got up, excusing herself to go finish getting ready for her date with Roger. Roger Davies. She was still attached to him and didn't want to think about other guys yet. Not until their relationship had completely run its course, even though it was very close to the end.

After running to the dormitory fixing her hair and makeup she made her way down to the common room where she found Roger speaking with some of his friends. They all went quiet as Vicki came down, all except one.

"Oh, look at her all dolled up. Trying to stop her man's wandering eye." Phillip Bridge said loudly with a large smirk on his face.

"Hey, even if I have a boyfriend that's not quite as interested as he once was, at least I have one. Tell me Phillip, how many girls have you kissed? Unfortunately for you, your mum doesn't count." Vicki hissed towards Phillip, his words upsetting her as Phillip was vocalising the hurtful truth that she knew deep inside that she wasn't quite ready to admit. A few of the people in the common room let out loud calls as the argument broke out

"Wait let me get this straight. You think having a boyfriend who doesn't think you're that attractive anymore is better than not having one? That's a bit pathetic." Phillip laughed.

Vicki whipped her head around to see who was observing. A lot of people present in the common room pretended they weren't listening in but she could see from their body language that they had heard every word and were hanging to hear more.

Unfortunately for her she had run out of witty comebacks – partly because Phillip's words cut her very deeply as she knew he spoke a truth she did not want to hear. So therefore she had lost her edge as she replied.

"At least I don't need to keep repeating myself. You think I'm pathetic, we get it." Vicki stated, her choice of words were strong but her voice quivered as she said it, showing she wasn't quite sure of herself.

"Once again, you think having a boyfriend who no longer loves you is better than being alone. Whatever you have to say is not valid, you are clearly crazy." Phillip slowly responded, using a condescending tone towards his adversary.

The next thing that came out of Vicki's mouth would haunt her for weeks to come. She would spend lots of time cringing about her awful response and she would also come up with ten beautiful responses that would hit the spot.

However at the time all she could come up with was…

"Well, as I said previously, at least I don't have to repeat myself," Vicki smugly stated but then moments later it dawned on her "Oh, crap…"

"Need I just point out you just did. But I'm off to Hogsmeade. Hopefully we might be able to catch up for a boys drink later at the Three Broomsticks?" Phillip laughed heartily before presenting his fist for Roger to do a fist-bump.

Roger gave a nervous side glance towards his girlfriend who Phillip had just insulted, but then lightly pressed his fist to his best friend's. Phillip said nothing as he made his way to the stairs that descended outside of the Ravenclaw common room but made sure to send one last egotistical grin towards Vicki as he did so.

"I like you Vicki, you know I always have. You won about fifty points with the mum kiss joke, but then lost them all and then some more by letting him back you into that corner. You might want to work on that." Greg, one of the other sixth year Ravenclaw boys said to Vicki with a pat on her shoulder as he followed the rest of his group out.

Roger and Vicki could only make small talk as they left the common room and made their way outside of the castle and down to the path that would lead them to Hogsmeade. There was an awkward tension between them. Roger was nervous his girlfriend was mad at him for his best friend's actions. Vicki on the other hand wasn't sure why she felt uneasy, she was trying to not think about it and pretend everything was okay when she secretly knew that things definitely were not.

The two continued their idle chit chat, mostly talking about how cold the weather had turned and the daunting amount of course work their teachers were throwing at them. After struggling to converse for the walk down to Hogsmeade they found themselves both standing outside a place that Vicki loathed.

"Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop? Really? You know I hate this place." Vicki pouted as she loudly protested.

"You said you wanted to have a serious talk, right? It's the best place for us to talk." Roger firmly replied.

Vicki studied her boyfriend's face for a few moments. She knew if there was any chance of repairing their relationship she couldn't be throwing a tantrum about the choice of venue. Besides, she figured that where they spoke didn't really matter, it was the conversation to be had that was important.

She held her tongue as they entered, stifling her laughter as she watched the stereotypical teenage couples – they all either seemed so nervous they could barely speak, or had their tongues down their partner's throats. There did not seem to be any medium between all of the couples present.

Watching them in irony would be an enjoyable activity if she was with someone else, but alas she was here with her boyfriend who wasn't a fan of people-watching.

Vicki took off her coat and put it on the back of the chair, nearly hitting two younger Slytherins who had long forgotten their warm drinks and were kissing wildly.

"Hey! Don't be so careless!" The boy hissed at Vicki as his girlfriend stopped kissing him after nearly being hit.

"Whatever. You're like, five years old. You'll break up in two days and by next Hogsmeade visit you'll be here snogging someone else." Vicki argued towards the younger Slytherin boy sounding very condescending, turning her back on him to face Roger again.

She expected to see Roger chuckle but instead she was faced with him scowling at her, very stone faced.

"That was incredibly mean, Victoria. They're just kids probably on their first Hogsmeade trip, this is exciting for them. Don't ruin their fun." Roger scolded her in a very harsh manner.

"Ah, I see. Using my full name for added effect to show how unimpressed you are. I was just opening up those younger students up to the truth – that love does not conquer all, school relationships don't last and they'll just end up with someone else soon enough." Vicki sarcastically responded as she defensively leaned back into her chair and crossed her arms.

She expected Roger to shoot back an insult back – as the two of them were clever Ravenclaws their arguments were always quite complex and heated. But instead he was silent and looked at her with dismay all over his face.

"What? What did I say?" Vicki asked Roger after he was silent for a while.

"Is that how you really feel? School relationships don't last?" Roger quietly asked Vicki.

Silence grew between her and Roger once more – with Vicki muttering a 'thanks' when Madam Puddifoot bought over the coffee she had ordered. She was deep in thought and as Roger understood this he decided not to push her into answering.

"I…well, statistically school relationships don't work. But uh, it's not exactly sunshine and roses between us right now is it?" Vicki weakly grinned.

Roger did not mirror her grin, in fact his face was the opposite. He looked very solemn.

"But is that how you actually feel? Love doesn't conquer all? School relationships don't last and people move on to the next person in no time?" Roger asked her flatly.

Vicki could easily shoot back good arguments as long as she could keep calm and think rationally. Unfortunately in this situation she was becoming quite emotional as the stakes were becoming quite high. This was her dying relationship she was holding onto but the topic had shifted to breaking up and surprisingly, it was inadvertently her.

Therefore her emotions took over and she would go down the road of unreasonableness.

"You seemed to have moved on before we have even broken up, so I don't know why you're being so titchy. Lining up a certain beautiful champion from Beauxbatons to rebound onto before we officially go to splitsville?" Vicki sarcastically asked as she sat back in her chair and crossed her arms in defence.

Roger thought about what Vicki was insinuating for a moment. He knew there were two ways he could respond – he could be on the defence and assure his girlfriend their relationship was just as strong as ever and he felt no attraction to Fleur. But Roger sadly knew this was not the truth and instead he went on the offense.

"That's rich coming from you. You've lined up three guys at least, perhaps more." Roger shot back suddenly.

"Who?!" Vicki asked Roger, earning the attention of others around them.

"Cedric Diggory, definitely Graham Montague and one of those Weasley twins – Fred I think is the one obsessed with you?" Roger quickly responded.

Vicki felt herself get fired up as she prepared an angry retort. But out of nowhere a sense of serenity washed over her. It was not her character to calm down in a heated argument. For some reason however she was suddenly able to think clearly, even though what Roger had said to her she found very insulting.

"That's the thing, Roger. I can honestly sit here and tell you those three people you named are just friends. But you couldn't do that when I mentioned Fleur, could you? Instead you had to attack my friendship with Diggory, Montague and Weasley." Vicki responded.

Roger blinked in confusion. He was expecting her to get angry and storm out but instead she was thinking with logic. He felt scared for a moment as he would now have his work cut out for him. But just as Vicki's serene feelings hit her suddenly, the same happened to Roger. What was the point in fighting? He still held so much respect for Vicki, he didn't want to hurt her by getting angry.

"Alright. I'll ask you a question now. How do you feel about me?" Roger asked Vicki curiously, a sly smile appearing over his boyish face as he suddenly realised hearing anything less than 'love' would not cut him deep anymore.

* * *

Like many other students, the Weasley twins were spending their Hogsmeade weekend sitting in the Three Broomsticks. They had briefly visited Zonko's with Lee but determined it was too cold to do anything but sip butterbeers in the cosy pub and had found a table in the middle.

Their younger brother Ron had intercepted them on their way inside as he wanted to sit with them, he was still in a heated drama with Harry Potter. Lee had no problem with this arrangement but the twins made a few comments before pulling up a chair for him.

They had all been there for a while and had stopped noticing the many students coming in and out of the pub. However there was one person who walked in who would always be able to grab Fred's attention.

"Vicki Hartwell is here." George stated in a sing-song voice as he nudged his twin in the side, which was lost on Fred as he already had his sights on her.

"Interesting – Davies isn't with her. He told me himself that he was going to take her to that tea shop to try and fix their relationship." Lee mentioned to the twins, growing silent when he remembered Ron was in their company.

Ron looked deep in thought as he processed what he had overheard George and Lee say to Fred. Sometimes not the most observant person, Ron thought back over the past couple of months and remembered the interactions he had seen between Fred and Victoria – namely the high amount of time they'd been spending with one another. It was very rare to see the twins apart and the only times he had seen it this year was when Fred was with Victoria. The answer hit Ron very quickly.

"You fancy her!" Ron piped up loudly, a loud grin appearing over his face as he finally had something he could tease his older brother about.

"Do not." Fred shot back quickly.

"Even if he did, none of your business you nosey git." George added on.

Ron looked at Fred and George in a sceptical manner. Based on his conclusion and their guilty faces he knew for a fact they were both lying through their teeth. He usually wasn't one to dish out jokes at his brother's expense but that was because the opportunity rarely presented itself. He wasn't going to let this one go.

"Oi, Vicki!" Ron yelled loudly. It was hard for him to get her attention over the loud pub so he stood up highly and began to wave his hands madly, earning lots of hisses from Fred.

It took Vicki a few moments to see Ron calling out for her, but when she did she made a beeline to the table. George got up and offered his seat to Vicki and went off to find a spare one somewhere in the busy pub.

"Hello Ronald, how is the school year treating you this year?" Vicki asked Ron politely, only sending small smiles to Lee and Fred as a greeting.

"Its fine, thanks." Ron mumbled, feeling caught off-guard at the attention and not wanting to answer truthfully about how miserable he was feeling.

"Hello Ronald." Fred mocked Vicki loudly. He was a little annoyed she had come to the table and had spoken to his youngest brother rather than himself and thus used her statement to poke fun at both his brother for his name, and Vicki for asking that question.

"Watch it, Fredrick. I was about to go buy everyone a round of butterbeers, but maybe I won't get one for you." Vicki teased.

Fred jumped up at this revelation and offered to help her carry them to their table. She thanked him and they both made their way to stand in the busy queue at the bar.

"So uh…have you had a nice day out at Hogsmeade so far?" Fred awkwardly asked as he scratched the back of his neck. He was dying to ask her about what happened with Roger but he had no way of bringing it up directly without showing his curiousity.

Luckily for him his indirect way of bringing up the conversation would work. Vicki was dying to tell someone about the dramatic event that had just occurred, and she knew Fred was exactly the person she needed right now.

"Can you keep a secret?" Vicki asked Fred leaning in closer to him and lowering her voice.

Fred would usually joke around or respond sarcastically. However in this instance he found he was unable to do anything but send a swift nod. From this distance he could see every fine detail on her face and smell her sweet perfume. It was paralysing him.

"I'm serious Fred, please don't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you. We've decided to keep it a secret until after the first task ends, for reasons I'll tell you soon." Vicki warned Fred.

"I promise." Fred responded, crossing an 'x' over his heart with his index finger.


	22. Chapter 22

Vicki looked towards the busy bar and noticed it was still a while until they would be served. She also noticed the room was so loud with all the patrons and their noisy chatter no one around them would be able to hear. Therefore she knew it was safe to tell Fred the story of what had happened at Madam Puddifoot's tea shop which made her glad, as she was dying to tell him.

"Roger and I broke up." Vicki admitted to Fred, a happy grin across her face.

"…for good?" Fred asked in disbelief, trying his absolute hardest to contain his happiness.

"Yep. Over. Finito. Splitsville." Vicki responded, attempting to be as dramatic as possible.

"I, err, well. I guess I'm sorry to hear that?" Fred stumbled awkwardly before he relaxed "Honestly, I'm not really sure what to say. It seems like it's been a long time coming, but I'm sure it's still very upsetting for you."

"Nah. I'm just dreading the big deal people are going to make of it when we make it public." Vicki groaned, burying her head in her hands but shot a smile towards Fred to keep it light.

Learning that Victoria Hartwell was single gave Fred a boost of confidence. He was able to easily be bold around her now they were quite close, but he was never comfortable enough to ever try and make their friendship turn into something more. Until right now.

He still wasn't brave enough yet to flirt with her. However he did grab her form into a quick side hug to offer a bit of sympathy and comfort. Fred swiftly let her go as he was afraid how Vicki would react to this unusual form of contact between the two but he was pleased to see his gamble had paid off. She beamed towards him and strengthened their new touchy-feely friendship by giving him a light playful shove in return.

"So why are you keeping it hushed about the break-up? If that were me and I was now free from the clutches of pretty boy Davies I would be shouting it from the rooftops." Fred asked Vicki, grinning wildly.

He was very curious to know but he still wanted to poke fun at the dramatic event in Vicki's life.

"Very tempting, yes. But it's for Cedric's sake, you know. The first task is only three days away, the last thing Cedric should be worrying about is my love life." Vicki responded.

"I don't think he's really going to give a damn if you tell him, I think the upcoming task will be keeping him very occupied. He won't care at all over a silly lover's spat." Fred shot towards Vicki, feeling jealous that Diggory's possible opinion on the subject seemed to be more important to Vicki than his own.

"Fred, he's my best friend. Of course he cares. He has his eye on a girl as well, so he needs to win to impress this girl." Vicki responded defensively.

Fred held back a wince – feeling uncomfortable with the fact Vicki was unhappy with his statement and also because she was indicating that she and Diggory were very close – 'best friends'

"Well unfortunately for Diggory he's got a tough time ahead of him. You've seen Harry on the Quiddich pitch, he's very competitive. Hopefully he doesn't make Diggory look too bad in comparison." Fred teased in a light hearted manner.

"Shut it, you." Vicki responded but to Fred's delight she dropped her cool manner and shoved him playfully with her shoulder, a wide smile on her face.

Fred didn't have time to retaliate as they were finally at the front of the bar and Madam Rosmerta had already starting pouring their butterbeers, with Vicki holding up five fingers to indicate how many she wanted.

They both picked up the butterbeers once poured and made their way back through the busy pub to their table.

Just as they took a seat again Fred noticed Vicki's eyes dart to the door. He followed her line of sight and saw that Davies had made his way into the pub. Fred was usually greeted by a dirty look and a snide remark by Davies when he was in Vicki's company but this time Davies seemed unfazed, shooting Vicki a polite head nod as he kept walking past.

Fred shot his sight back onto Vicki who did not seem bothered by the change in Roger's demeanour towards her.

This made Fred smile into his butterbeer. It seemed like Vicki and Roger were actually over this time and to Fred's delight Vicki wasn't upset about it and thus more likely to move on a lot faster than anticipated.

* * *

"People are starting to clear out, do you reckon we should head back up to school?" Ron asked the older students he was seated with, after his twin brothers embarrassed him by sharing as many anecdotes of Ron's childhood as possible.

"S'pose so. Madam Rosmerta told me the last round we got would be our last round. She's cutting off students to clear us out as some of the Hogsmeade weirdos are beginning to come in now that it's nearly nightfall." Vicki responded.

"Plus I saw some lightweight third years start to get a bit tipsy after all that butterbeer." George added on, making the rest of the group snicker.

They all got up and pulled on their coats. Slowly they began to trudge out of the pub and made their way back up the path that would lead them to the castle.

As they passed the Hogs Head a figure came running out and stopped in front of them.

"Oh, hey Graham. Sorry, I completely forgot I told you I'd swing by to meet your Nan. Raincheck?" Vicki awkwardly stated, feeling guilty she ended up spending time with the Weasleys and Lee instead of Graham as promised.

This caused Fred to snort loudly in laughter, causing Montague to shoot him a filthy look.

"We're not due back at the castle for a short while. Come on, one drink?" Graham pleaded to Vicki.

She was silent as she was deep in thought. She felt remorseful that once upon a time she used to spend time with Graham regularly, but this year she had chosen to spend more time with her two new close friends – Fred and Cedric.

"Okay, just one quick drink. I did promise." Vicki responded causing Graham's face to light up and Fred's to turn sour.

"I guess we'll catchya later?" Lee asked, knowing how Fred would feel right now and not knowing how to say goodbye to Vicki under these circumstances.

"Sure. I'll seek you guys out after dinner maybe." Vicki responded.

She waved goodbye to Fred, George, Lee and Ron as she followed Graham back into the Hogs Head.

The Hogs Head was a very dingy place, very different to the warm and welcoming ambience at the Three Broomsticks. Students were allowed at the Hogs Head but the heads of houses usually advised against students going in due to the unfavourable magic folk that chose to drink there.

Vicki only shot Graham a weak smile as she followed him to a table where she saw his grandmother seated.

When Graham told Vicki that he was seeing his Nan earlier, Vicki had expected a polite little old lady. The type where if she were a muggle she would have purple hair and bake biscuits and serve them with milk and a warm smile. Instead she was greeted with the complete opposite.

The older woman in front of her had short black hair that had been spiked – with grey running through it fiercely. She had a wicked smile with pointed yellowing teeth. Vicki felt very intimidated by this woman's appearance but decided to not let it scare her and decided to make conversation.

"Hi!" Vicki beamed as she offered her hand "I'm Vicki. Your grandson is one of my oldest school friends so I must say this is an honour."

"Don't use a nickname when meeting strangers, darling. It's not polite otherwise." Graham's grandmother coolly stated, looking at Vicki's outstretched hand and not taking it.

Vicki blinked in confusion. She certainly wasn't expecting that. Not being quite sure what to do she decided to play along with what Graham's grandmother was saying.

"Okay. I'm Victoria." Vicki responded as she was unsure what else to add on.

"See. Doesn't that sound a lot more civil? I'm Drucilla Montague. Say, why don't you have a drink with us?" Graham's grandmother proposed and pointed to a spare chair at the table.

Vicki certainly wasn't opposed to the idea of an alcoholic drink due to how uncomfortable she felt. She jumped up from her seat and muttered she would be back before she approached the bar.

"What are you looking for, girlie?" the publican asked her, indicating he had little patience for her and wanted to serve her quickly.

"Give me a firewhiskey, thanks." Vicki muttered, feeling bold to ask for an alcoholic drink to get through this encounter even though she was quite underage.

"Tell you what. I've got a batch of firewhiskey that's going to explode if not consumed within the next two days. I usually do a whole bottle for three galleons - I'll sell you a bottle for one galleon and give you the first glass for free." The publican offered her.

"Alright." Vicki grinned as she put a gold galleon onto the bar.

The publican poured her a glass and also handed over a full bottle which Vicki guessed contained about 750mls. She hid the bottle under her coat as she would be smuggling it back into the school and she took her glass of firewhiskey back over to Drucilla and Graham.

"Graham here was just telling me you're a Ravenclaw, as I was able to see from your robes. Do you come from a long line of Ravenclaws?" Drucilla asked Vicki curiously.

"It must be a very noble thing to belong to a long line of family that were all in the same house," Vicki truthfully responded "But no – my parents belonged to two different houses."

"Are there any muggles in your family?" Drucilla boldly asked, showing her wicked teeth in an evil smile.

"Er…no. Why?" Vicki asked, trying to remain polite but not being very interested in where this conversation was headed as she knew exactly what Drucilla was trying to dig into.

Vicki was on friendly terms with a few Slytherins but she didn't subscribe to the 'pureblood' way of life. Whilst she had no muggles in her immediate family down her bloodline there were blemishes such as squibs and non-humans so she wouldn't be able to call herself a pureblood even if she wanted to.

"Just wondering. I wouldn't want my grandson to be hanging around a mudblood." Drucilla casually responded, as if it was an innocent question she had asked.

Graham looked between his grandmother and Vicki and felt the tension between the two. He knew Vicki was too polite and quite frankly too much of a suck up to be outwardly rude to his grandmother – but he also knew his grandmother was capable of being very vicious. He knew he had to intervene.

"Vicki is actually quite a bright witch. She's a prefect, and everyone knows she'll become Head Girl next year." Graham bragged, making Vicki beam at the compliment.

Moments later her smile faltered as she watched Drucilla's eyes study her carefully, going up and down her form. After a few moments of silence Drucilla spoke up.

"There was a Ravenclaw head girl during my seventh year. She went missing halfway through the year. Hopefully it's not a Ravenclaw curse and you too don't go missing." Drucilla snickered loudly.

"I don't know, it's not guaranteed that I'll get it – Mildred Tate from Hufflepuff seems like a serious contender. Apparently she's been keeping the Triwizard Tournament officials good company, they'll certainly be putting in a good word to Dumbledore by the end." Vicki modestly responded, trying to ignore Drucilla's teasing. She was trying her hardest not to be drawn into the petty argument Drucilla was trying to create.

Unfortunately for Vicki, Drucilla's grandson would spit out a comment inspired by jealousy of something he had been witnessing lately that would give perfect kindling to start an argument. Even more unfortunate for Vicki - she was about to learn that Graham knew something she really didn't want him to know.

"I'm sure Bagman would certainly give you a glowing recommendation. I've seen the way he looks at you, he's quite taken by you." Graham bitterly acknowledged.

Vicki went to deny this profusely however Drucilla made sure to speak up first.

"Ludovic Bagman, the former Quiddich player for the Wasps? There you go, no need to be Head Girl. You can marry rich and not have to work a day in your life." Drucilla shrieked with laughter.

"Nah, I'll be right, thanks." Vicki responded sarcastically, finally starting to lose her cool with Drucilla's teasing.

Normally Drucilla would be delighted that her constant prodding was breaking her target's spirit. But Drucilla had never liked pretty young things that received plenty of male attention. Therefore her face fell and she prepared to up the ante to be extra nasty to Vicki. She wasn't fazed that her grandson cared for Vicki – in fact it made her even angrier that her grandson had fallen for the charms of someone she perceived as a common whore.

"What's your surname, anyway? The apple never falls far from the tree. I'd like to know if I'm right." Drucilla smirked.

Vicki went to answer, but someone beat her to it. Alastair Moody was in Hogsmeade this weekend to keep an eye on the students wandering around. He was now on a duty to round up the remaining students that were lingering around Hogsmeade back up to the school – now nightfall was nearing it was unsafe for the students to be out much longer.

"Hartwell, Montague. What are you doing in here? You know this place is not safe for students!" Moody bellowed loudly from the entrance "Finish your drinks and head up to the castle."

Vicki found it hard to process Moody's request as Drucilla began to once again shriek loudly with laughter.

"You're a Hartwell? That makes sense. Are you a result of the delinquent or the squib?" Drucilla asked in a cruel taunt.

It took Vicki a second to understand what Drucilla was talking about as her father was not a delinquent or a squib – he was a fairly narrow and boring person. But then she realised Drucilla was referring to the generation before her father – her grandfather and great uncle.

One of the reasons why Vicki's father Maxwell Hartwell had insisted on raising her in both the muggle world and the magic world was due to the fact that he himself was raised this way and knew the benefits first hand. His two parents (Victoria - Vicki's namesake and Andrew) had gone missing when he was a young child and so he was raised by his uncle William who was born a squib.

Vicki stayed rooted in her spot. She wanted to bark insults right back at Drucilla for insulting her family but the Ravenclaw in her made sure she stayed silent. Vicki didn't know much about her paternal heritage – her great uncle William had moved to Australia a long time before she was born so she had only met him a couple of times. She never had the chance to meet her paternal grandparents. Therefore her thirst for knowledge stopped her from storming out and she would take this opportunity to learn more, even if it would be from the vile woman in front of her.

"Andrew Hartwell was my grandfather." Vicki modestly responded.

"I see. I suppose you have some defect and that's why the Gryffindor house rejected you? Mind you I'm surprised the Ravenclaw house let you in. The Victoria Hartwell I knew was as dumb as a bag of elf droppings." Drucilla snarled at Vicki.

"That is enough, Nan. I care deeply for Victoria and I can't let you say these dreadful things that are uncalled for." Graham shouted out in anger, standing up and grabbing his coat to ensure a quick exit.

Vicki was taken aback by this. She knew Graham was fairly close with his Nan and hadn't expected him to take her side or to defend her vigorously. Vicki shot Graham a smile in appreciation.

Graham's outburst only seemed to enrage Drucilla further. At her time in school a few boys had attacked her verbally in defence of the first Victoria Hartwell. Fifty years later her own flesh and blood was doing the same for a direct decedent. Saying Vicki Hartwell had ruined her day was a very gross understatement.

"Graham, I wouldn't bother defending her. Her grandmother had an affair with a teacher. This one probably has the same loose morals as that harlot." Drucilla stated sounding unusually calm and icy as she nodded her head towards Vicki.

"Montague, Hartwell. Time to go." Moody growled from the doorway, both Vicki and Graham having forgotten he was there due to the heated situation that had unravelled.

Vicki tightened her knuckles as she felt herself getting very hot under the collar. She had come to the Hogs Head this afternoon to sit down and have a nice drink with a dear old friend and his grandmother. Instead she was faced with unfair animosity, receiving insult after insult over a fifty year grudge against her own grandparents. She was not happy with these turn of events and anger was finally beginning to settle in.

"My grandmother must have done something pretty bad to you, considering fifty years later you're still carrying on like a pork chop about her. There's some girls I'm not too keen on right now but I hope that in fifty years I've lived a fulfilled life had and moved past it by then." Vicki coolly shot at Drucilla as she got up from her seat to stand next to Graham.

"That's the thing, little girl. At least I've gotten to live a life. Your grandparent's foolishness lead them into going missing quite young. Therefore can't say they both got to live a fulfilled life." Drucilla wickedly stated with an evil grin across her face.

Vicki began to tremble with rage. Even though she was very angry she was determined to have the last say.

"Vicki, come on, let's go. Professor Moody could give us a detention." Graham urged Vicki, taking a grab of her hand in an attempt to encourage her to leave the pub.

"Live fast, die young, and leave behind a beautiful corpse. Victoria and Andrew Hartwell were two very attractive people in love, adored by all around them. They lived a more meaningful life than you, and in half the time," Vicki rudely stated "But hey – at least you got a good grandson out of life. Considering he's the only one willing to see you. He's even a shot at perhaps not dying alone."

Very few people had been able to leave Drucilla Montague speechless as she was a force to be reckoned with. But she had met her match and lost with Victoria Hartwell the second. Having no words at her disposal she decided to pull out a weapon instead – her wand.

As hastily as Drucilla had pulled her wand onto Vicki, Moody had stalked over and grabbed her by the gruff of her neck and began to escort her out of the pub.

"You can't go running your mouth off at dark witches and wizards like that. It's not safe without backup or without being prepared." Moody lectured Vicki, his scarred face intensely looking into hers once they were standing alone in the doorway outside of the Hogs Head.

"The Montagues aren't dark wizards though. Graham has never been bothered by my less than pure bloodline." Vicki argued meekly, feeling a little intimidated by Moody's severe and threatening manner.

"That may be true, Montague's parents have never been on the Auror office's radar and never seemed to get involved in dark magic rubbish. But the family matriarch – Drucilla Montague was born Drucilla Carrow. There's many people in her family that paired with other dark wizards that have caused the ministry grief." Moody gruffly informed Vicki.

"I see." Vicki conceded, wanting Moody to end his lecture so she could go back to the castle, suddenly becoming very aware of the bottle of firewhiskey she was keeping concealed under her coat and the fact that Moody had a very magical all-seeing eye.

Moody saw through Vicki's attempt at brushing him off and decided to continue on to scare the young girl.

"Drucilla Montague also happened to be at school in the same year, and in the same house as the Dark Lord. Let that sink in and maybe next time be more careful about who you mouth off to." Moody darkly stated.

Luckily for Vicki, Graham bounded of the pub moments later and found himself joining Moody and Vicki.

"Montague, please escort Miss Hartwell back up to the castle. It's getting late, the sinister folk will be coming out soon." Moody requested to Graham.

Vicki didn't even bother saying goodbye to her professor as she began to make her way down the cobblestone path back to Hogwarts. Moody had always made her feel uncomfortable but she hadn't realised how worse it was without Fred Weasley next to her cracking jokes to make the situation feel a lot lighter as he did during lessons.

She was certain Moody must have seen the bottle of alcohol she was hiding but not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth she didn't bother to dwell on her close call.

"Can we talk about what just happened in there?" Graham asked Vicki, catching up to walk next to her as Vicki was stalking away from Hogsmeade very quickly.

This caused Vicki to slow down and face him. With her creepy interaction with Moody she had forgotten all about her stand-off with his grandmother. She just sent a swift nod to Graham, incapable of speech as she expected him to be a bit cross for speaking to his grandmother so harshly.

"I'm really sorry for my nan said to you. She was out of line. I really hope what she has said hasn't ruined your Hogsmeade weekend." Graham apologised, concern etched over his face.

Vicki stopped in her tracks to face him, as this wasn't what she was expecting. If Graham had spoken to a member of her family like that, there was no way she would still be on speaking terms with him, let alone apologise – even if the family member had picked the argument and had insulted him first.

She could tell he was truly sorry as well.

"Sorry I got a little heated. I should have just walked away rather than say such terrible things in front of you. I hope we can still be friends." Vicki weakly smiled.

She noticed Graham opened his mouth to say something but shut it quickly. He then seemed to grow incredibly nervous as he licked his lips and began to fidget with his hands. Vicki was about to ask what was wrong – but then Graham finally gained the courage to say something he had been wanting to for a long time.

"I shouldn't be saying this because I know you're still with Davies. But I was hoping that if things do break down between you two, well, perhaps we could be more than friends." Graham shakily stated.

Vicki found herself dumbstruck. It hadn't come completely out of the blue – Steph Fawcett had been hounding her for weeks to call things off with Roger and get together with Graham, stating that she could tell Graham Montague was crazy for her. She wasn't looking forward to informing her clever friend that she had been right all along after all the denying.

But she still found herself rooted to the spot as she had not anticipated this conversation. Due to this she decided to try and buy some time in hopes of being struck with inspiration of what to respond with.

"I…err, are you confessing that you have a crush on me?" Vicki stuttered out.

"I guess I am, yes. I've always had a huge thing for you Vicki. I was going to confess at the start of school last year but I then found out you were with Davies. So instead I focused on improving myself – getting better at Quiddich and losing weight, all so one day I could hopefully be a good boyfriend for you. This was all for you." Graham confessed to Vicki.

She bit her lip – she still had no idea what to say or how to respond.

* * *

 **Putting my author's notes at the end of my stories from now on, so it's easier to tell where the story begins.**

 **This chapter is a bit of a treat for anyone who reads my other story, but for the majority who don't it's a little window into Vicki's family and where she comes from.**

 **You're all going to LOVE the next chapter, I promise. I can't wait to write it, in fact I think I might start right now.**

 **In response to the reviews:**

 **Guest A - Well this chapter will have answered your one question, and many good things are now coming your way! Thanks for the support.**

 **Lelleg - Your wish is my command, hehe! Once again, good things are a-coming, very soon :)**

 **Guest B - That's a very exciting move! What job are you going to be doing in NY? I just re-read your comment and it's honestly scary how well you predicted how this chapter would go - you actually got it right to a tee! Thanks for your really kind words about the stories, it really helped me into updating again and I really appreciate it. As always thanks for your reviews, it makes me excited to update to see what you think :)**


	23. Chapter 23

Fred was in a sour mood all the way back up to the castle and even throughout dinner. He said very little during the meal which went noticed by the many other Gryffindor's seated at the table, as it was usually the two twins who provided the most entertainment at meal times. Only George, Lee and now Ron knew why Fred was in a sour mood but they did not dare speak up about it.

As soon as Fred finished his dinner he jumped up and muttered to everyone he would meet them all in the common room. He left the Great Hall alone and began his ascent up to Gryffindor tower. On his way up however he crossed paths with the girl he wanted to see most – or right now did he want to see her the least?

"Fred! I'm so glad I've run into you – you're the person I was hoping to see." Vicki gushed as the two stopped on the staircase to face each other.

"Hey!" Fred beamed at Vicki's words but then his face fell when he realised she was on her way down to dinner "did you only just get back to the castle?"

"Ah, yeah, I did. I was kind of hoping, well, if you're free tonight if we could hang out?" Vicki nervously asked Fred.

Fred was in complete disbelief. There were many people in this school who would be happy to spend time with Victoria Hartwell but she had chosen him. He had instantly perked up however he still had one pressing question he had to ask – and surprisingly it had nothing to do with the fact she had left with Montague last time he had seen her.

"Have you already asked Cedric and he turned you done, has he?" Fred weakly smiled, jumping to that conclusion.

Vicki pouted as she was deep in thought. She was able to connect the dots – earlier in the day he had lightly attacked her verbally when she mentioned Cedric was her best friend, and now he seemed sceptical that she wanted his company above all others. It made her smile, she was flattered that Fred seemed to get jealous of the friendship she held with Cedric.

"Nope, didn't even ask Cedric to see me tonight. I was really hoping for us two to hang, one on one. But if you're sick of me…" Vicki trailed off with a light smile as she was preparing herself for possible rejection.

"Well yeah, of course – I'd love to. I just still want to know why you'd prefer to spend time with me instead of your so-called best friend." Fred teased.

This made Vicki smile – this was the exact sort of distraction she was needing.

"I'll tell you all about it soon. I just need to quickly eat dinner and grab something from my dorm. Do you want to meet me in this exact spot in about an hour?" Vicki asked Fred sounding hopeful.

"See-ya then!" Fred cheerfully responded as he bounded up the stairs.

Vicki continued down the stairs through the Entrance Hall and then made her way into the Great Hall. She went to take a seat at the Ravenclaw table but was faced with an awkward situation when one of the girls in her year slid down so Vicki could be seated next to Roger – her now fake boyfriend.

"Hello my darling boyfriend." Vicki said overdramatically as she grabbed a plate and began to load up on meats and vegetables.

Roger only shot her a weak smile as he continued to eat quietly. He held no resentment or ill feelings towards Vicki however he still wanted to keep his distance from her for now until the break up was less raw. Vicki felt the same way (they had discussed this openly earlier in the day) but she was attempting to make lame jokes to make it less awkward but also to put some distance between her and Roger.

"Cheer up. After tonight there's only two days until the first task and then we're all clear to break the news to the school. You'll be a hundred per cent single in no time." Vicki stated with a small smile on her face.

Roger only once again sent her a small smile back and remained silent. She was making him feel more and more uncomfortable and not wanting to snap at her like he had been over the past few weeks he thought it was best to say nothing at all. One day he'd knew he would be able to enjoy her company as a friend, but only hours after their breakup today was not that day.

Luckily for Roger the perfect distraction was about to unfold.

"Oi, you two. Sorry to put a damper on your Hogsmeade weekend but you're both needed for prefect duties tonight." Paul Greene – the Ravenclaw Head Boy said to the two as he took a seat opposite Roger and Vicki.

Roger and Vicki shot each other nervous glances, not being keen on having to spend time together one-on-one at the moment.

"This wasn't planned, and I had organised something for tonight with someone." Vicki shot towards Paul, causing Roger to send Vicki a sidewards glance in surprise.

"Yep – I wanted to really impress a girl." Roger spoke up, in an attempt to upstage Vicki.

Paul didn't blink at the two, assuming the plans Vicki had for tonight were with Roger, and assuming Vicki was the one he wanted to impress. Therefore he continued on.

"Sorry guys, we need everyone to work as individuals tonight. Apparently the school is organising something to do with the tournament tonight so prefects need to stand guard at various points around the school to ensure no other students sneak a peek." Paul exclaimed.

"Ah, a false sense of security. If anyone desperately wanted to cheat I'm sure they could easily get past a prefect and hey, who said the prefects can be trusted." Vicki cheekily grinned, making Paul frown.

"Kelly and I would like to think we can trust our prefects with this task, thank you very much. Roger, I've stationed you into the outside courtyard – you'll have a few other prefects stationed close by as it's near the main entrance of the school. Victoria, you've been put at the top of the Astronomy Tower. As it's very secluded you'll be there by yourself." Paul explained to Roger and Vicki.

Vicki and Roger shot each other a look as they were both unsure of what to say. They were supposed to be disappointed they had been stationed away from each other on a Saturday tonight however in reality both could not have been any happier. An alternative plan for tonight was also forming in Vicki's mind – the night was no longer a write off and she would not need to cancel on Fred.

"Alright," Vicki said after taking a big gulp of her food and pushing her plate away "No point arguing. It is what it is. I'm going to go back to my dorm and get ready. Would it be fine if I get up to the Astronomy Tower in about an hour?"

"That will be fine. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to break the news to Diggory that his services are not required tonight as it is deemed a conflict of interest with him being a champion."

stated giving the table a light whack in what he believed was triumph over Roger and Vicki and strode off confidently.

Vicki just muttered a quick goodbye to Roger and also got up quickly to go back to Ravenclaw Tower, not bothering to pay attention to Roger's response. She had been feeling fine all of the day but that awkward and forced conversation had made a switch go off in her head and suddenly reality seemed to hit her.

The boy who used to make her crazy was now the one she wanted to avoid the most. It seemed like not too long ago she was head over heels in love with him and felt what they had was special. But now the interaction was awkward, and only occurring because they were keeping up appearances. It hurt Vicki deeply that something so special had burned out.

Deep down she knew things would mellow out between her and Roger once they had time to heal and move on. But right now she needed a distraction, and spending time with Fred Weasley tonight would make her feel better.

* * *

"I hope you don't mind spending time with me tonight here at the top of the Astronomy Tower. We can reschedule if you'd rather go back to the Gryffindor common room tonight." Vicki sheepishly stated to Fred after they had reached the top of the Astronomy Tower.

"No way. Nowhere else I'd rather be." Fred honestly replied with a smile on his face.

He hadn't cared at all when he met with her and she explained to him that very last minute she had been given a prefect's task. She had wanted to spend the night with him and only him, that's all that mattered to him.

"We'll be left alone up here all night at least – as I'm the one meant to be keeping watch. However I've bought up something a bit naughty." Vicki grinned, indicating to Fred she had kept something hidden under her robes.

Fred decided to say nothing and cock up an eyebrow. He wanted to know what Vicki was up to and anything he could say would just be delaying her big reveal.

"You're a troublemaker Weasley. But are you game enough to get drunk on this tower with me?" Vicki mischievously grinned as she pulled the bottle of Firewhisky and shook it around for dramatic effect.

"How did you get your hands on that?" Fred asked in amazement, clearly impressed.

"Hogsmeade, pretty simple actually." Vicki shrugged as she began to unscrew the lid.

"Underage drinking with a prefect in an out-of-bounds area, whilst she's meant to be doing her prefect duties of not allowing students around lest they cast their eyes onto something they're not meant to. Oh, I'm very game Miss Hartwell. I think the real question is – are you?" Fred smirked towards Vicki.

Vicki did not directly respond to Fred but instead unscrewed the lid, keeping her grin on her face as she looked into his eyes and took a large swig of the alcohol. She winced at the burning in the back of her throat and handed the bottle to Fred who followed her lead and also scalded his own throat from the alcohol.

Fred handed the bottle back to her as he doubled over with his hands on his knees at the strong taste. Vicki had a lot more experience with alcohol as she had spent the previous two summers getting drunk regularly with her muggle friends at gatherings and house parties, but this was almost a new experience for Fred.

He and George had once had a shot of this exact drink given to him by an uncle at a wedding and had not taken it well – unfortunately this quickly alerted his mother that the twins had been given alcohol and Molly had shouted herself hoarse at the uncle and her two sons. Therefore with only one experience with alcohol in his life he had not acquired immunity to the rough feeling down his throat.

Vicki only shot him a small smile of encouragement as she guessed he wasn't seasoned in alcohol drinking and took a seat on the ground with her back pressed against the wall of the school. She had put warming charms on her and Fred's robes before they got to the top of the tower, but sitting down away from the wind made the charm a lot stronger.

Fred followed suite and sat next to her.

"So why'd you want to spend time with me?" Fred asked her, not bothering to hide his curiousity. He had this question burning in his mind since Vicki had stopped him on the stairs earlier.

"Well as I said earlier at the Three Broomsticks it's not really a big deal that Roger and I broke up. Everyone has all these crazy theories and I kind of just want a night where I don't have to see Roger, or be alone and mull over these thoughts." Vicki responded.

"What theories do people have?" Fred asked inquisitively.

"Well Steph thinks I should go out with Montague purely to spite Roger. Cedric on the other hand thinks I have a problem being alone and that's why I stayed with Roger for so long. I like Cedric and all, but he couldn't have gotten it more wrong." Vicki began to explain.

Fred had so many questions – he wanted to know why Fawcett wanted Vicki to be with Montague. He wanted to know why Diggory thought Vicki was scared of being alone and he wanted to know why Diggory was apparently wrong. But he stayed silent in order for Vicki to continue.

"The truth is I loved Roger, I used to love him so much. I just didn't want to let that go and was living in denial that we could get back to that place again one day. Today both of us finally let go and I think it's a cause for a celebration that I can move on with my life. It has nothing to do with being alone." Vicki explained.

"And you wanted to celebrate with me?" Fred asked Vicki very quickly.

"Well, yeah. You're the only person who hasn't given any unsolicited opinions or advice on my relationship with Roger. Whenever we hang out it was always just you and I being stupid. I like that." Vicki smiled.

Fred could not contain his smile and beamed towards Vicki. He hadn't realised that she enjoyed his company that way. He always avoided bringing up Roger because it made him sick to his stomach to think about the two together. He had no idea that by banishing that topic he was making her happy. He was now glad for his irrational jealousy.

He still had one burning question that hadn't escaped his mind since Hogsmeade.

"How did things go with Montague when we left you? Did you tell him that you and Davies broke up?" Fred asked curiously.

Vicki let out a rather loud and unflattering snort before she bit her lip, both at the sheer awkwardness she felt from the noise she just made but also because she was remembering what had happened on the walk back up to Hogwarts.

"No, thank Merlin for that. His grandmother and my grandmother apparently had some pathetic schoolgirl rivalry in the forties so I exchanged some heated words with his grandmother and left. On the way back to school he apologised for his grandmother's behaviour but then poured his heart out to me." Vicki responded.

"How?" Fred shot back, hanging onto Vicki's every word.

"He went on about all of this nonsense about how he's always had a thing for me, and basically said he's waiting for Roger and I to break up and how he got involved with Quiddich and lost all of his weight so I'd notice him. It was really uncomfortable actually. He's a good looking guy, but I really don't see him like that." Vicki explained.

The news of a 'good looking' rival should have upset Fred. But instead he was once again ecstatic of what Vicki was revealing. He had known Montague had been interested in Vicki for a long time as he had seen the lovesick boy do similar things to what he had done himself chasing after Vicki. But instead he felt very settled. Montague had confessed his feelings and Vicki was uncomfortable about it. He was also still beaming about the fact she wanted his own company above all others.

"Oh." Fred stated with a smile on his face as he took the bottle out of Vicki's grasp and took a swig of the alcohol.

"Yeah." Vicki responded, finding his smile contagious as she accepted the bottle back and copied his actions.

Fred decided to shift the topic away from Montague and Vicki's love life in general and onto the first task of the Triwizard tournament that was just two days away.

From there the two talked.

And talked.

And talked.

The two would occasionally pass the bottle of Firewhisky between them as they discussed many topics. At first it was very light – they would joke about school related topics, and their fellow peers. But then as the alcohol started to take effect they went deeper.

Vicki told Fred about how badly bullied she was during primary school. It was well known that most witches or wizards who grew up in a muggle society (either not knowing they were magic like muggle borns – or just those who just grew up in the muggle world like Vicki) were usually picked on by the muggles around them. This is usually due to the fact that the magic folk growing up were 'weird' and 'different' and their muggle peers could pick up on the subtle clues that adults normally missed.

Fred felt a lot of empathy towards Vicki as she divulged in all of the times she was ridiculed and excluded but there was one anecdote that made him laugh – the story of Sally Saunders.

Sally Saunders parents apparently had bad blood with the Maureen Smith (formerly Hartwell – Vicki's mother). Apparently they had stolen from Maureen and in an attempt to cover this up and to discredit the Hartwell/Smith clan the Saunders family bad mouthed Vicki to the entire school community, telling everyone how she deserved to be 'locked into Bedlam with the key thrown away' for having serious mental issues. Following her parents actions Sally Saunders began to find ways to torture Vicki – by picking fights, saying hurtful things or making up stories to get Vicki into trouble.

After enduring Sally's bullying for so long, Vicki's magic abilities began to develop. Suddenly Sally found her bag began to split open a lot, the wind around her would pick up and blow her dress up and she began to trip over her own feet a lot. It started to get so bad that Maureen feared the ministry may punish Vicki and waive the immunity children usually had over their powers so she began to keep Vicki home for days at a time. The Saunders family pointed their fingers towards Vicki for what was happening to Sally but with no proof, they looked rather silly and eventually had no choice but to pull their kids out of Vicki's school and re-enrol into a new one.

"As far as I'm aware they still badmouth me to people, unfortunately a few parents have banned their children from talking to me after hearing the made up stories from the Saunders family. But that's okay, I uncovered evidence that the dad has been to jail for numerous crimes and thus I spread that around." Vicki shrugged as she finished this story to Fred who was wiping tears of laughter from his face by the end.

Fred then let Vicki in on a secret he and George had never told anyone before, not even Lee.

He explained the reason why he and his twin had turned to a life of jokes and pranking – it was the only way they could get their parents attention when they were very young. They were the middle children. After Ron and Ginny were born Fred said he felt their parents fawned over their youngest two children for being the baby boy and baby girl of the family. This was around the same time Bill was starting Hogwarts, with Charlie not being very far behind him.

Therefore a monster was born, and that was the devious nature of the two twins. Ron was their usual target being the sibling closest to them in age – although Fred admitted that in later years they shifted their attention onto Percy as he was a much more entertaining mark. He also admitted he and George no longer felt that way anymore, in fact they'd rather not have their parents close attention these days as they would be able to get away with much more if they could go under their radar.

"It's nearly one, we really should head down. I'm sorry to keep you out so late. I'm allowed to be out this late as prefect, so if we run into any teachers I'll say I needed you or something." Vicki said to Fred after checking her pocket watch.

"Nah, I'll be right. I know every secret passageway this castle has. I also know for a fact there's one at the bottom of this tower that will take me right outside the Fat Lady's portrait. I'll be safely back in my dorm in no time." Fred winked to her as he got up. He offered his hand to Vicki and helped her up from the ground.

It was only as they both stumbled down the stairs that they both realised how drunk they were. They only had the opportunity to drink half the bottle as drinking the potent alcohol straight began to become too much for the two.

But they both had to hold onto the rail for dear life and it took them a lot longer than usual to reach the bottom of the tower. Luckily they managed to negotiate the stairs and didn't drunkenly topple down.

"My passageway is just behind that painting of a cupboard over there. If you open the cupboard doors on the painting you can actually climb through." Fred explained.

Vicki went to respond however she was cut off by a noise of someone muttering to themselves. Someone was clearly approaching. Vicki and Fred shot each other a look but in the distance they were able to see who it was. It wasn't a someone – it was a ghost.

"It's the Fat Friar. He's friendly, but will dob in students breaking the rules their own safety," Vicki mentioned, but then continued on after a moment "But he's always been a real sucker for romance."

"Should we go back up the tower?" Fred suggested.

"No, we'll be too loud and we'll attract his attention. He's coming this way, there's only one thing I have up my sleeve. You gotta trust me, and I'm so sorry this will make you feel uncomfortable." Vicki explained.

"Okay, whatever. Just hurry, he's almost here." Fred said to Vicki, lowering his voice so the Fat Friar wouldn't hear them.

Absolutely nothing could prepare Fred for what was about to happen. With no warning he felt Vicki grab him suddenly. She backed herself to a wall, and with her back pressed against the wall she held Fred against herself. She lifted a knee so one of her legs came out of her robe and placed one of Fred's hands quite far up her thigh. His other arm she grabbed and put around her waist.

She placed one of her hands on the side of his face, and the other hand she ran through his red hair. After setting the scene she went in for the kill and locked her lips to his.

Fred was extremely taken off guard by Vicki's advance but his instincts took over and he passionately kissed her back. Her free hand running through his hair felt amazing to him and he tightened his grip on her waist and thigh.

Vicki tried her best to put on a show for the Fat Friar who was passing. As he had a soft spot for students in love she was faking the kiss to encourage the Fat Friar to move on. She tried to make it slow and sensual as she moved her mouth gently with Fred's. She contemplated using her tongue but decided against it – it would not be something visible to the passing Friar and after all this was all for show.

"Tsk, tsk. It's a bit late for students to be out. But are those Gryffindor and Ravenclaw robes I see? It must be hard for you two to find a spare moment belonging to two different houses. Is that a prefect badge I can see? Well you're excused then. I'll leave you two lovers alone." The Fat Friar mused as he came close to both Vicki and Fred before floating away quickly.

As soon as his mutterings were out of earshot Vicki broke away – to Fred's dismay. He was nearly confident enough to lie to Vicki and latch onto her lips again and say the Fat Friar had come back, but he was on too much of a high to manipulate the situation.

"Sorry about that. I hope this doesn't change things between us, or make things awkward." Vicki sheepishly grinned.

"No way. You saved our arses. Thanks for that." Fred smirked, doing his best to contain the large smile he wanted to wear.

"I better head off back to my dorm. Here, take this. I won't have the chance to drink the rest. You have about two more days before it explodes. It'll still be alright to drink the night of the first task. If you bring this out in the party I have no doubt you'll hold in Potter's honour, everyone will think you're a legend." Vicki stated as she presented the bottle of Firewhisky to Fred.

His brain still wasn't functioning properly so he didn't protest but instead thanked Vicki as he took it off her.

"Goodnight Vicki." Fred beamed towards Vicki as he began to walk towards the painting.

"Goodnight Fred," Vicki replied as she engulfed him into a tight hug "Thank you for being you, and for getting my mind off the stupid breakup."

* * *

 **...yep. That's all I have to say. They've finally kissed - hallelujah!**

 **In response to the reviews:**

 **Raven Woods 2003 - this chapter did not meet your expectations but I can promise crazy drama is a brewing (and I'm also a drama loving nerd - high five)**

 **ForeverTeamEdward13 - Thanks for your support :) as a Fred lover I hope you enioyed this one!**

 **Cae-Leigh Anne - welcome! Thanks for choosing to read my story - I appreciate it :)**


	24. Chapter 24

The next morning was very rough for Vicki. Although she had gotten drunk quite a few times she was quite young and thus had never had a hangover before. Until that morning. Drinking quite a lot of firewhiskey straight was never going to result in anything less than a banging head and upset stomach.

Luckily for Vicki she had a prefect's bathroom at her disposal. She managed to drag herself out of bed and down to the prefects' bathroom. After spending fifteen minutes hunched over a toilet she managed to stumble over to the large pool-sized bath and jumped in still clad in her pyjamas and began to force herself to swim laps to make herself feel better.

It certainly worked. By the time she got out of her wet clothes and to the breakfast table she felt a lot better. After she had shoved lots of bacon and eggs down her throat she was almost back to her normal capacity but she decided to grab a coffee from the kitchens for a caffeine hit.

Ignoring the probing of Stephanie Fawcett on where she had gone last night, Vicki got up from the table, headed out of the Great Hall and down to the kitchens.

Upon tickling the pear and walking into the kitchens she was stopped at the sight of lots of elves and one Weasley twin. She had to squint in her still-a-bit-hungover state but she was still able to tell the difference between the two after a few moments.

"Hey George, what brings you to the kitchens this morning. Let me guess, Fred isn't feeling well this morning." Vicki grinned, causing George to grin back.

Vicki quickly gave her coffee order to the elves and they bowed and scuttled away to get it ready.

"He sure isn't. He's in bed groaning about a sore head. What poison did you prank him with last night? Sounds like a classic." George asked curiously.

"That poison is named firewhiskey – and don't worry it's also kicking my arse." Vicki responded.

"Hopefully some food straight from the kitchen will stop him from being a bloody sook. I'll fetch some water too." George stated.

Something then dawned on Vicki. George knew that Fred had spent the previous night with Vicki. This meant that Fred must have told his twin brother about their catch-up. Growing curious about what information Fred had divulged, Vicki found herself subconsciously twirl her hair around her finger as she spoke up.

"So err, what did Fred tell you about last night?" Vicki asked curiously.

She was afraid Fred was possibly mad at her for forcing herself on him the previous night. The last thing she wanted was to lose his friendship if she had made him feel uncomfortable. She knew asking George if he had said anything was the key to finding out more information.

"Not much actually. All he said was that he had fun and he got back in very late." George stated.

The house elves gave Vicki her coffee and she knew it was time to depart. Wanting to be funny she had a parting statement for George.

"Interesting. You missed out on a good story. Ask him what we had to do when we ran into the Fat Friar last night." Vicki grinned and quickly turned around and walked out, ignoring the pleas for more information from George.

* * *

It wasn't until Monday morning when Vicki finally saw Fred Weasley emerge. She wasn't sure if he attended lunch the previous day as she decided to skip lunch but when dinner rolled around he was absent from the Gryffindor table.

However Monday morning he was there looking fresh as a daisy. The Hufflepuff table separated the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables so Vicki wasn't within speaking distance but she sent him a few grins and thumbs ups his way. She was looking forward to talking to him to establish that they were both fine and not going to act weird towards one another after what had happened.

"Hey Vicki, ready for potions?" Phillip Bridge said to Vicki as he shoved his way next to her, pushing Steph further down the bench seat to sit next to her.

Vicki said nothing but raised an eyebrow towards him as she sensed there must have been a reason he was conversing with her, they definitely did not have an amicable relationship.

"Yes, I am. Why?" Vicki asked stiffly after Phillip did not leave.

Phillip just grinned as he leaned in to speak quietly to Vicki.

"Roger told me you broke up. Do you know what that means?" Philip asked Vicki in a sing-song voice.

"You know what? There's plenty of things it could mean," Vicki shot at him sarcastically "You tell me."

"We don't need to be enemies anymore! You're no longer taking my best friend away from me. You're no longer the siren leading him to his downfall. You're no longer the harpy nagging him to death-" Phillip stated and continued to go on but Vicki cut him off.

"-no longer a witch casting a spell upon him?" She weakly grinned.

"I was looking for more insulting similes. You are a witch so it's not as funny. But yes, that too." Phillip smirked.

Vicki only sent him a small smile in response. She was definitely willing to accept that he would now leave her alone and not act so cruelly towards her. But she wasn't going to suddenly be his best friend. She still wasn't a big fan of the guy and she still thought he was a bit of a jerk. Until he proves himself otherwise, she was going to keep a distance from him.

"Oi! Roger. Let's take your lovely girlfriend over to the Hufflepuff table to round up Cedric and make our way down to potions." Phillip yelled loudly, sending a smirk towards Roger as he knew it was a sensitive spot for Roger that for the next thirty-or so hours he was still linked to Vicki.

"Sounds splendid." Vicki smirked as she jumped up from the table. She wasn't planning on being best mates with Phillip but she knew there was now very little time left to be able to poke fun at Roger by milking their fake relationship. After the next day that ship will have sailed, forever.

Phillip and Vicki confidently went to the Hufflepuff table to collect Cedric with Roger awkwardly trailing behind them. They greeted Cedric and then all left to make their way down to potions.

"So Ced…" Vicki began in an attempt to make conversation, but before she could finish her sentence Cedric's bag split wide open, his belongings pouring out all over the floor.

Phillip and Roger were stunned at the surprise but Vicki jumped into action and bent down to help him pick up his belongings.

"Don't bother," Cedric sighed towards Vicki as he took his things off her "Tell Snape I'm coming, go on."

Phillip and Roger began to back off but Vicki awkwardly stuck around to make sure he would be fine. When he insisted for the third time that she go to potions she scuttled off after telling Cedric she would 'hold the fort' for him.

She slipped into the classroom and noticed Snape was already at the front of the room about to start his lesson with his back turned, writing notes on the blackboard. Snape may not have hated Hufflepuffs the same way he detested Gryffindor students but he would still punish Cedric for being late – champion or not. Therefore Vicki needed to cause a distraction, and fast.

She had something in her pocket that Fred Weasley had given her a while ago. He and George had been working on a few new products for their upcoming line – they managed to get thrifty with the little money they had acquired since Bagman took their savings. Fred wanted Vicki to be one of the first people to see the product but she had no use for the product. Until now.

Vicki looked around the room for her preferred target. Normally she would pick Phillip but considering he had called a truce with her she didn't want to rock the boat. Beside she knew Phillip would be far too clever for what she had planned. But she could still use him to execute the plan. She needed the product to get to her target, but without her target knowing it had come from her.

She pulled the box out of her pocket and scribbled a note on a piece of parchment – trying to make it seem messier than her usual handwriting. She then dropped the box containing the product and kicked it towards Phillip's chair.

"What was that?" Roger asked suddenly as he bent down to pick up the box. Phillip snatched it out of his hands, being excited for something potentially scandalous.

"It's a gift for Mildred Tate. No idea how it got here. Here you go." Phillip stated as he sounded disappointed and threw the box towards Mildred's potions set up. She managed to catch it before it fell into her cauldron.

Mildred Tate and Vicki never really liked each other. They never had any rivalries and were never rude to each other, but they weren't a fan of one another. Mildred always thought Vicki was a little trashy and crude, whilst Vicki thought Mildred was boring and needy. Rather than argue or be rude to each other the two were mature enough to just avoid one another and instead use their time being around the people they did like.

"Maybe it's from Cedric." Mildred smiled widely, shooting a dirty look towards Vicki as she opened the box and found a tart inside.

Vicki was relieved that Mildred was acting catty towards her as now she didn't feel so bad for what was about to happen. She had a feeling Mildred was beginning to act more hostile towards her this year – she wasn't sure whether it was due to the fact they were the top two contenders for Head Girl next year, or because perhaps Mildred had feelings for Cedric.

"That's so thoughtful!" The girl working with Mildred squealed "The best gift for a Hufflepuff is food, surely it has to come from another Hufflepuff!"

Mildred took a bite of the tart and moments later sprouted feathers and a beak. This caused a large distraction as a few of the students squealed in surprise, with some of the more nasty ones (such as Phillip) sniggering at Mildred's misfortune.

To make matters worse for Mildred, Snape came over and began to berate Mildred for being so foolish, not even bothering to look at her symptoms and organise an antidote.

Luckily for Mildred it was just a trick sweet and she soon began to revert to normal. As Mildred's feathers began to disappear Cedric managed to slip into the classroom unnoticed and take his usual spot next to Vicki. As Vicki had set up the cauldron during the commotion he looked ready to go for the potions lesson, as if he had been there since the start.

"Don't even ask about what's been happening in here. Mildred Tate just err, happened to find a sweet that turned her into a canary, just as we needed a distraction for the fact you were late. Convenient, huh?" Vicki cheekily grinned towards Cedric.

He barely acknowledged her which was very out of character for him. Vicki knew he was probably far too polite to make fun of Mildred, but she was expecting some kind of reaction out of him. Instead he was stone faced.

"Surely this can't be about your bag? What has happened in the time between your bag splitting and right now?" Vicki asked him.

"I found out about the first task. Well, I think I did. It's not good." Cedric responded.

Vicki opened her mouth in shock, she clearly wasn't expecting that. She decided to close it and keep it together for her friend.

"Well we can't skive off potions, obviously. But let's skip our next ones and get together to work this out, alright?" Vicki smiled to try and lift Cedric's spirits.

"Thanks Vicki. You're a true friend." Cedric weakly smiled towards Vicki.

* * *

"Hey, you." Vicki smiled as she ran to catch up with Fred after breakfast the next morning.

"Hey Vicki. Fancy sitting with me and my friends for the first task later on?" Fred asked her enthusiastically.

He had been wanting to ask her to sit with him and his Gryffindor friends ever since George bullied him into asking what he and Vicki got up to on Saturday night. After he told George the next morning, he wouldn't stop suggesting to Fred that he should ask to sit with her during the first task. Fred kept insisting the kiss was all for show to get the Fat Friar off their backs – even though it meant the world to him and it killed him to think it meant nothing to Vicki.

"That would actually be amazing. Thank you for asking." Vicki beamed brightly.

"So how are you, anyway? I haven't seen you since Saturday." Fred asked her curiously, hoping to re-establish their friendship and make sure things wouldn't be weird between them.

"I'm good. I had a chance to test that Canary Cream you got me. It worked a treat." Vicki mentioned to Fred.

"Oh? Who was the target and what did they do to deserve it?" Fred grinned. He even became bold enough to give her shoulder a very light shove in a playful way, deciding to follow advice in that book George gave him on how to flirt with girls.

"Mildred Tate. I've never quite taken a liking to her but to be honest she probably didn't deserve it. It's just that Cedric was coming late to class and I needed a distraction so-" Vicki began to explain but she was cut off by Fred unexpectedly.

"You used one of the very first Canary Creams to help Diggory? Seriously?" Fred sparked up in angry disbelief.

"Well err, yeah. It's not like you gave me rules on how they should or shouldn't be used. Why can't I use them to help a friend?" Vicki asked defensively, crossing her arms in the process.

"Maybe anyone but the Hufflepuff champion – unless you planned to use it on him. He's essentially the biggest enemy to Gryffindor right now. I thought as a Ravenclaw you'd be smart enough to work that one out." Fred snorted at Vicki.

Vicki remained silent as she felt a lump forming in her throat. She had spent so much of her school year fighting with Roger, she was tired of fighting with boys, especially after she had just solved the Roger problem. Fred was also perhaps the one she didn't want to fight with the most, out of everyone. He was the one she ran to when she needed cheering up, she couldn't stand the thought of not having him around anymore.

"I'm sorry. I should have considered that. I understand where you're coming from." Vicki apologised as she began to calm down. There were definitely truth in her words but she also made the decision to back down as she couldn't stand to fight with Fred.

Fred's face softened as the gravity of the situation had hit him. Before he could make an apology of his own the school's matron had approached the two.

"Victoria, I've been looking for you. I need to have a talk with you." Madam Pomfrey stated as she put an arm around the younger girl's shoulder and began to drag her away.

Vicki called out a weak goodbye to Fred as she walked off with Madam Pomfrey.

* * *

Fred was sitting anxiously in the stands around the arena where the first task of the Triwizard Tournament was being held. Due to his heated exchange with Vicki he wasn't sure whether she would still sit with him or not.

After Madam Pomfrey took her away he was planning on sitting with her in Transfiguration to clear the air with her. Unfortunately she was absent from Transfiguration. He wasn't proud of what happened next but as he had a spare after Transfiguration he hung around her Arithmancy classroom in case she skived off Transfiguration to avoid him.

Unfortunately it appeared she was absent from Arithmancy as well.

At lunch he poured his heart out to George and Lee quietly. He mentioned how he gained the courage to ask her to sit with him during the task – as friends, even though George and Lee made a big deal about it. He even told them how he had technically made his very first move on her – by touching her arm to flirt with her.

But then he had to break the news that he ruined all of this by getting angry with her.

"Well to your credit, I'm not too impressed the first time the Canary Cream has gone public was to help Diggory." George joked.

George and Lee however were sympathetic to Fred and advised him that Vicki should still show up and that he should stay positive.

Fred, George and Lee were sitting on one of the bench seats, with Angelina, Katie and Alicia sitting behind them. George and Lee were facing behind them to chat with the girls in an excited manner but Fred was facing forward, his eyes locked on the entrance of the stands.

It was an anxious wait but he hadn't seen Vicki enter yet, so he remained hopeful. At least he hadn't witnessed her go sit with someone else.

He did however get a bit confused when he saw Vicki's group of Ravenclaws enter without her. He was one of very few people who knew about the breakup between Roger and Vicki but he assumed she would still enter with him to keep up appearances, or to at least come in with her best friend Stephanie Fawcett.

He was even more stunned when he saw Stephanie land in front of him.

"Hey Weasley," Stephanie greeted but had to quickly correct herself when she realised there were two Weasley children present "Err, I'm talking to you Fred."

"Miss Fawcett." Fred greeted with a polite head nod.

"To what do we owe the pleasure of your presence?" George added on cheekily.

"Vicki insisted I come over. She said she was going to sit with you guys, but she can't make it anymore. She really wanted me to give you the heads up." Stephanie explained.

"And she couldn't come over and tell us herself?" George asked coolly since Fred seemed to be incapable of a response.

"No, you see…" Stephanie began to explain but a loud whistle rang out through the arena to signal the beginning of the task.

"Well I need to run and get a seat. Talk to Vicki later, there's a very good reason." Stephanie said as she gave Fred a pat on the shoulder and ran up the stairs to meet her friends.

* * *

 **Well I don't really have much to say about this chapter. I hope you liked it. You can start to see that slowly Fred and Vicki are coming together.**

 **In response to the reviews:**

 **Raven Woods 2003: Here's a small taste of the drama to come, but this is nothing yet :P at least you know it's coming!**

 **ForeverTeamEdward13: I seriously can't wait to make them kiss again, hehe. Thanks for the support!**

 **Paulies1994: Thank you so much for your review, I really appreciate it. I'm touched by both your review and the fact someone out there recommended my story! I can assure you I don't plan to stop with Goblet of Fire, I actually have big plans for OoTP and Umbridge, but that's a long way away. This is going to be a pretty long story.**


	25. Chapter 25

"Hello gorgeous." Ludovic Bagman happily greeted Vicki as he waltzed into the medical tent and unexpectedly saw Vicki sitting on a chair looking quite bored.

"Aren't you due in the Champion's Tent?" Vicki asked Bagman as she quickly jumped off her chair in shock. She wasn't planning on Bagman walking in to annoy her today.

All of her interactions with Bagman had always been planned carefully. She had always been in control after scheming with Fred and George. As her presence in the Medical Tent had been sprung on her last night, and as Bagman's entrance was not announced she had no idea how to proceed.

It also didn't help that the last time she had seen either of the twins, Fred was quite cross with her. But she didn't like thinking about that.

"Very soon. I just thought as an organiser of this fine task today that it was my duty to make sure the Medical Tent was up to standard." Bagman responded.

"T-take a seat," Vicki stuttered nervously as she felt uncomfortable being alone with Bagman "I just quickly need to check on something."

A plan quickly arose in her mind and she bounded off to put it into place. She knew Madam Pomfrey was in the Champion's Tent chewing off the ear of anybody who would listen to her.

Vicki silently slid into the Champion's Tent. Although she had more responsibilities for this task than the other prefects (and even the Head Boy and Head Girl) she knew she was not meant to be in this tent. Her plan was to fetch Madam Pomfrey first and maybe wish Cedric luck if she wasn't kicked out before she had the chance.

"It's absolutely ridiculous to not allocate funding to adequate healing staff! Millions of galleons have been thrown at this tournament and they seem to be able to have dozens of staff available for these dragons." Madam Pomfrey ranted loudly to the person who was closest to her – Madam Maxine.

The dragons were meant to be a secret, but it was perhaps the worst kept secret ever to grace Hogwarts. When Madam Pomfrey approached Vicki for her assistance in the tournament Vicki had cockily responded she knew how to heal burns but refused to name her source. Therefore as Madam Pomfrey knew the secret was out she was safe to rant in anger.

"'eet 'iz your job to heal 'ze champions as your job as Matron, no?" Madam Maxine responded as she wasn't very sympathetic to Madam Pomfrey's predicament.

"I am very capable of my job thank you very much," Madam Pomfrey briskly stated before continuing on "However I hardly think it's safe to only have the school matron and no other healers on hand to deal with four school aged children getting injured by dragons!"

Madam Pomfrey's outburst had caught the attention of the champions who turned even paler at the thought that should anything happen in the arena that they would not be given proper medical care.

"What 'iz wrong with 'zis school?" Fleur piped up angrily.

"Blame the tournament organisers, not Hogwarts. However luckily I have a very bright student that has put her hand up and agreed to assist me today. Victoria Hartwell has previously worked with me in the hospital wing so at least I'll have another set of hands with me," Madam Pomfrey explained before quickly adding on one last rant "I have to take what I can get. A proper healing team would have been more suitable."

Vicki beamed at the compliment. She was almost tempted to eavesdrop to hear more favourable words about herself but knew it probably wasn't a good idea. She also wanted to get Bagman out of the Medical Tent and also to quickly wish Cedric luck before the task would begin. She didn't have a lot of time.

"Oh Madam Pomfrey. Mr Bagman is sitting in the Medical Tent. If you wanted to give him a piece of your mind about not having a proper healing team now is the chance." Vicki grinned towards the school matron.

"Right. I'll be off then." Madam Pomfrey said as she stepped away from Madam Maxine and Fleur as she marched out of the Champions Tent and made her way back over to the Medical Tent to confront Bagman.

Madam Maxine said nothing but departed also to go speak to Professor Karkaroff. This left Vicki alone with Fleur.

"I'll be going for you second, after Cedric of course. I think it's unfair Potter was allowed to compete even though I don't think he put himself in the cup. Got to go for the sisterhood." Vicki gushed to Fleur.

The two were loosely friends. Fleur sat with her during most meals and Vicki was one of the only girls who would listen to Fleur's criticisms of the school. Vicki understood that if she were to set foot in Beauxbatons she too would negatively compare everything to Hogwarts. It was only fair to let Fleur have her say.

Due to their friendly status Vicki wasn't expecting Fleur to turn on her and be rude.

"'Zips is the Champions Tent. You are no champion. You need to leave." Fleur snapped at her.

Vicki was taken aback by how blunt Fleur was. However she felt no need to be rude back. Vicki knew Fleur was right, she was not a champion, she was not supposed to be there and she probably should leave. Fleur was probably incredibly nervous about the upcoming task and didn't appreciate the distraction.

"Of course. I'll leave you to it." Vicki bowed nervously before taking a few steps away, leaving Fleur to take a seat by herself on a stool in the corner.

Vicki's eyes wandered across the tent and she saw Cedric pacing around nervously. She approached him with a gentle wave, which made him stop and send her a small smile.

"I won't keep you too long. I'm in the Medical Tent with Madam Pomfrey but I thought I'd come over to wish you a bit of luck and friendly reassurance." Vicki said to Cedric, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

"I just keep trying to think that in an hour's time, this will all be over." Cedric admitted to her suddenly.

"You remember the plan we came up with, right? Execute that, and you'll be right." Vicki reassured him, catching him off guard by engulfing him into a friendly hug. He hugged back, but his arms were so wobbly with nerves he was only able to lightly hold on.

"Anyway I'll be off, I don't want to annoy the other champions too much. Hopefully I don't see you in the Medical Tent later on." Vicki stated as she let go, giving his shoulder one last squeeze before leaving the tent, just as she saw Bagman run back in.

Vicki managed to slip back through to the Medical Tent without Bagman seeing her and she grinned as she saw Madam Pomfrey fuming.

"I can't stand that man!" Madam Pomfrey complained loudly, with Vicki agreeing with him.

As all of the students outside the tents began to take their seats Madam Pomfrey went over the basic procedure with Vicki. She was given strict rules – to not make any diagnoses herself, to not undertake any major healing without prior permission and most importantly to listen to Madam Pomfrey at all times.

"Is everything prepared ready for the first champion when he or she finishes the task?" Madam Pomfrey asked Vicki after she had finished explaining the rules to her.

"All four stations are ready to go. The remedy shelf is fully stocked with all of the ailments. I've made sure there's a few different tool stations to each champion cubicle and absolutely everything needed is within reaching distance, but also there's backups high enough to be grabbed with a summoning charm if required." Vicki explained to Madam Pomfrey.

"I must say I'm very glad I picked you to help me today. If everything is prepared you may watch the first champion out of the tent flaps. But I'll need you back in here the second the champion passes the task." Madam Pomfrey stated to Vicki with a large smile.

Vicki thanked her and stood at the entrance of the tent. She watched Cedric emerge from the Champion's Tent. He didn't look his usual confident but caring self as nerves ran through his body but he did make sure to send a glance and a wave towards the Medical Tent to Vicki.

During Cedric's task Vicki didn't take her eyes off him once, not even to glance at the dragon. She watched as he followed the plan they had come up with together, that he would transfigure a close object (in this instance he had chosen a rock) into a very life-like looking dog to distract the dragon.

She cheered loudly as the dragon ran after the dog.

Vicki was always terrible at Care of the Magical Creatures class and aside from skimming 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' in her first few years at school her knowledge about magical beasts was very minimal. Cedric on the other hand was a very keen student in that area and had gotten an outstanding in O.W.L. year and was continuing the class at N.E.W.T. level. Therefore the idea of distracting the dragon by turning a nearby object into a dog was completely his idea as he knew a little about the anatomy of a dragon and how thick their skin was.

Vicki on the other hand was required by Cedric to help him successfully transfigure an ordinary object into a life-like animal. Vicki was rather skilled in Transfiguration but it took her a few hours to complete the spell to an acceptable level. It took even longer for her to teach Cedric how to do it properly – but they eventually got there in the end.

"Great effort by Diggory – he's successfully tricked the dragon into chasing after a rock instead. He's moments away from grabbing the egg, in amazing time!" Bagman's voice boomed through the arena, as he was commentating.

Cedric had to wait a while to make sure the coast was clear, but after about ten minutes he was satisfied enough to make a break for the egg as the dragon was still chasing the dog but had tired herself out in her quest.

Cedric's hands clenched around the egg and he quickly raised it in triumph. Huge roars echoed around the arena at Cedric's win and he smiled at the crowd. However unfortunately for Cedric he did not see that the dragon had lost interest in the dog and moments later Cedric found himself with very painful burning blisters on his face.

"He's got burns to his face from the dragon, but they're forcing him to wait until he gets his scores from the judges before he can come in here." Vicki yelled out behind her to Madam Pomfrey in order to warn her.

"You, here." Madam Pomfrey ordered Vicki, clicking her fingers next to her within one of the divided cubicles in the tent.

Vicki obliged and moments later she found a jar of thick orange substance thrust upon her.

Madam Pomfrey was normally a kind woman but when she had a patient she would vigorously become strict to get them the best care possible. Therefore to most students she seemed strict – as most students only saw her when she was caring for the ill.

"You apply this to his face when he comes in. I'll do the rest." Madam Pomfrey ordered her.

Moments later Cedric stumbled into the tent wincing in pain. Vicki ran over to him to help him over to the makeshift bed that had been set up and as soon as he was seated Vicki began to apply the thick paste to his face.

"Okay Miss Hartwell if you could step back please. Mr Diggory, I'm just going to use a quick spell that will help the paste settle in nicely. It will speed up the healing and work as pain relief quite soon." Madam Pomfrey explained and Cedric was only capable of a quick nod due to his high level of discomfort.

As it was all hands on deck to help clear up Cedric's burns, Vicki was not given the opportunity to watch the other champions in action. She was able to make out some of Bagman's commentary – both Fleur and Krum managed to get to the egg unscathed.

"I don't know whether to be embarrassed that I'm the only one who needed medical attention, or be glad that everyone else is safe." Cedric joked to Vicki once the pain became to subside and he had the ability to talk once more.

They both watched as Harry Potter bounded into the tent. Vicki thought Madam Pomfrey could handle him as he barely looked injured but as Madam Pomfrey passed Cedric's cubicle she nodded her head for Vicki to follow her.

"There you go, there's a second person to get injured. Must be a Hogwarts thing." Vicki joked as she ran after Madam Pomfrey.

"Miss Hartwell if you could please fetch the cleaning solution and dab it onto Mr Potter's wound. I'll then be able to heal it." Madam Pomfrey asked Vicki.

"Accio cleaning solution!" Vicki stated with a flick of her wand and directed it to her hand. Although she had not been able to watch Harry's round of the first task she had heard the commentary and how he had very impressively used the summoning charm to get his broom. Therefore as a joke Vicki had used the charm to get the jar of cleaning solution and sent a large wink to Harry as she did so.

After Madam Pomfrey quickly healed the wound with her wand Harry was free to leave the tent. Not too long after Cedric was also free to go but was advised by Madam Pomfrey to keep the orange paste on his burn and to go see her later back in the castle for a check-up.

"I'll see you tomorrow, I'm guessing there will be a big celebration in the Hufflepuff common room tonight. But congratulations again." Vicki said to Cedric as she gave him a big hug as he was once again required in the Champions' Tent.

"Thanks for everything Vicki. You have no idea how much it means to me." Cedric smiled, before he disappeared into the tent.

Vicki helped Madam Pomfrey clean up the tent. She helped pack away the various medicines and tools into a box where they would be taken back up to the castle. After it was deemed everything was in order Vicki got a very sincere display from Madam Pomfrey who expressed her gratitude for Vicki's help.

By the time Vicki made her way back up to the castle all of the students had already made their way back to the school. When she got to the Entrance Hall she peered into the Great Hall and noticed most students were already seated for dinner.

She figured she would eat dinner now and shower later. Whilst it would be a fun filled night for the houses of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff it was looking like a fairly ordinary and boring night in the Ravenclaw and Slytherin common rooms, she had all the time in the world.

She made her way over to the Ravenclaw table and noticed a lot of sympathetic looks were shot her way. It took her a few moments to think of why the people around would be feeling sorry for her, but then it dawned on her.

"Roger told a few people that you guys broke up. Are you okay? This must be really hard for you." Steph gushed as she got up from the table to give her best friend a big hug.

Vicki only shook her head lightly. She knew she had no right to be angry with Roger for telling people they had broken up. After all, that was their agreement – after the first task they were free to spread the news that they were no more. She wasn't surprised Roger hadn't waited at all to inform the school of his break-up, but she was disappointed in him that he didn't surprise her.

Her eyes wandered over to Roger where he was happily babbling with his friends. She saw the group of boys gaze lustfully towards some of the attractive female students around.

Vicki held a small smile on her face. Although she had already accepted the breakup it now felt final to her. It was a very bittersweet feeling. In that very moment she felt she had finally received the closure she didn't know she was seeking. Maybe, just maybe she would now be able to easily move on.

* * *

Whilst Victoria Hartwell was having a quiet night in studying for her Charms test that was being held in the next few days, it was a very different night ahead for Fred Weasley.

He and George had organised quite the party that was being held in the Gryffindor common room. There was enough food and drink to feed an army, and many other Gryffindors had pitched in to make the party a fun one.

He had been fluttering around speaking with many people over the course of the night. He once again found himself speaking to Harry, with both George and Lee on his side.

"Diggory was looking a little worse for wear than you this afternoon." George stated to Harry.

"Yes Harry. Tell us your secret of how you look so fresh." Fred added on with a grin.

Harry blinked in confusion as he was caught off guard by the random topic, but he managed to answer moments later.

"The dragon didn't seem to get me too bad. Madam Pomfrey was able to heal me pretty easily. Vicki Hartwell was there too, she was helping Madam Pomfrey. She applied cleaning solution first." Harry stated.

Fred, George and Lee's eyes all widened at this revelation. However it was Fred who spoke up first.

"Vicki Hartwell spent the tournament in the Medical Tent?" Fred asked quickly.

"Er, yeah. She was." Harry responded, as he quite confused why the three older boys thought this was a big deal. Moments later George would answer his question.

"She was meant to sit with us during the task, but apparently couldn't make it. We thought she was being a stuck up bitch and chose to sit elsewhere, but that now makes sense." George stated.

Fred shot an uneasy sidewards glance at George for his choice of words. What George said was completely true, but now that Fred knew Vicki hadn't avoided him on purpose he felt bad and thus didn't want to hear those thoughts spoken out loud.

Harry was not given a chance to reply as some of his fellow fourth years had dragged him off to speak with him. This suited Fred fine as he wanted to be silent for a few moments whilst he could collect his thoughts with a smile on his face.

Vicki clearly wasn't as angry at him as he first thought. Therefore he had the chance to set things right between them. He just had to figure out how.

* * *

 **I can't believe I missed the year anniversary for this story! It was a few weeks ago. I aim to hopefully move things along a bit faster or at least update a bit more which should be easy as now I've got Roger and Vicki officially over things are finally starting to get interesting. I have a pretty big event planned for next chapter.**

 **In response to the reviews:**

 **Raven Woods 2003: Arghh I'm dreading the end of the year too! But I'm also excited to write OoTP so I'm trying to soldier on haha! Thanks so much for your reviews! :)**

 **ForeverTeamEdward13: BINGO! You guessed correctly! I am definitely very keen to make them kiss again - but also very keen for proper feelings to develop between the two which is now SO close *hint hint***


	26. Chapter 26

Most Gryffindors were not feeling very fresh the next morning. Some of them were sick from ingesting lots of junk food the previous night. Some were groggy from running on a lack of sleep as they had celebrated the night away due to Harry's win. A very small few were experiencing a hangover.

Fred had bought out the Firewhisky that Vicki had given him over the weekend and forced it down a few people's throats for a laugh. He ended up having a few swigs himself but once he learned that Vicki was not ignoring him he decided to stop drinking for the night so he could approach her bright and early the next day.

"Look at all these smug looking Hufflepuff and Gryffindors. They all got to party the night away, and we Ravenclaws spent the night in isolation doing homework. It's not fair!" Stephanie Fawcett whined loudly to Vicki as they walked down to breakfast that morning.

"Most Ravenclaws would prefer to spend the night in isolation doing homework." Vicki pointed out to her friend.

"Most Ravenclaws aren't as cool as us." Steph retorted with a giggle, causing Vicki to nod smugly in agreement.

"Oi! Hartwell!" Fred Weasley yelled as he saw the two popular Ravenclaw girls walk into the Great Hall ahead of him.

The two girls turned around. Stephanie Fawcett rolled her eyes at him for interrupting her flowing conversation but Fred did not care one bit. It was Vicki's reaction he was worried about. Their last interaction wasn't friendly and he was dreading any initial animosity.

He was relieved when a big smile spread across Vicki's face. He was about to properly call her over but to his delight he saw Vicki say something to Stephanie and the two parted – Stephanie entered the Great Hall and Vicki turned around and trotted up to him.

"Well I was going to bring you breakfast fresh from the kitchen but I nicked so much food from the kitchens last night I felt a bit guilty about going back today. But these cakes were made fresh last night, and they're pretty good." Fred explained to Vicki as he held up a paper bag he was carrying.

"I've never been one to turn down cake, that's for sure." Vicki smiled towards Fred.

The two were silent as they climbed the staircase to the first level and entered the first classroom they could find. The two of them took their usual position they sat in when they were alone – their backsides being seated inappropriately on the top of the table and their feet resting on the chairs below.

Fred unpacked the leftovers he had grabbed from the party last night and he set it onto the table to sit in-between them. He had managed to even secure some coffee knowing how much Vicki liked the bitter drink.

"So uh, I wanted to bring you breakfast as an apology." Fred spoke up, feeling a bit awkward as he did so. Fred's discomfort wasn't lost on Vicki.

"You don't say sorry very often do you?" Vicki grinned.

"Not really, no." Fred responded.

"You don't need to apologise today. I can understand why using your great creation to help your current enemy would upset you. I'm sorry for that." Vicki nervously stated.

Fred studied Vicki's face and smiled. He could tell she wasn't mad at him and that's all he had wanted to see. He wasn't after an apology from her.

"We can either be a bunch of sorry sods and keep apologising to each other or we can move past it. I'm not sure about you, but I'm leaning towards the second option." Fred winked towards Vicki.

"I definitely am a fan of moving past it." Vicki smiled.

Fred was hugely overjoyed. He didn't think it would be this easy to win Vicki over. Then again he realised he was used to arguing with stubborn fellow Gryffindors usually too proud to be reasoned with. It was a refreshing change to have a logical Ravenclaw in his company, and he knew he was thinking ahead of himself but he knew it would be convenient if Vicki ever became his girlfriend, their little lover's spats would be nothing.

He sent her a smirk as he saw her nibble on a biscuit. She had no idea the thoughts racing through his head and he found it amusing. If only she knew…

"Let's hug it out then." Fred grinned, deciding to use his courage and push his luck by forcing physical contact onto Victoria. He slung an arm over her shoulder and pulled her into his chest.

Vicki was caught off-guard by Fred's advance and went limp as he held her for a few moments. It was due to this that he lost his nerve and let her go suddenly, afraid he had overstepped his boundaries and made her uncomfortable.

Fred's fears were incorrect. In fact they were almost the polar opposite.

Vicki eyed him after he let go as she felt her chest tighten at the physical contact. She had tried not to think of their kiss a few days ago as she thought it was not wise to dwell on something that meant nothing. But a simple hug was now causing butterflies to erupt inside of her.

"So I need to tell you all about last night's party in the Gryffindor common room. It was so much fun, wish you could have been there." Fred stated to Vicki.

She nodded and half listened as he began to launch into sharing stories from the previous night. Vicki was staring intently at him in wonder. She couldn't believe that he had gone to so much effort to make things right between them after a small misunderstanding. She hated to compare the two, but she knew Roger would have never done this for her.

This train of thought unlocked many other doors in her mind. She always knew how Fred would always know exactly what to say to make her feel better but felt she had never appreciated it until now.

All of his good qualities appeared in her mind. He was kind to her, he had a subtle intelligence no one else seemed to understand, he always knew what to say to her to compliment whatever mood she was in and most obviously he knew how to make her laugh.

"Poor Neville became the second victim of Canary Creams, I'm now quite glad you used it on Tate as it meant he wasn't the first, poor bastard." Fred laughed to Vicki.

Vicki only nodded her head, incapable of speech as a lump had formed in her throat. However it wasn't one of sadness, but nerves. These feelings she had just discovered for Fred – were they new ones that had just developed, or emotions that had been running through her for a while that she locked away due to her failing relationship with Roger?

"Are you sure you're right? Something is wrong? Blimey Vicki – I'm so sorry I snapped at you." Fred asked with concern etched on his face as he noticed Vicki was unusually quiet and not as receptive to his conversation.

"I'm right, but won't be if you don't stop apologising. Seriously, it's okay. I think it's very sweet you've made the effort to do this for me. I can't think of anyone who's ever put so much thought into making me happy before." Vicki admitted, as she nervously tucked her hair behind her ear.

Fred beamed at the compliment but his playful nature did not allow him to bask into it. His response came out as if he were on auto pilot.

"If you reveal this secret to anybody, I'll have to kill you." Fred joked.

"Scout's honour," Vicki exclaimed as she put her hand up before realising this was a muggle phrase "Err, Merlin's honour? Ah, forget it. I promise."

* * *

The rest of the week seemed to go very quickly. The entire school was still abuzz with the excitement from the first task. Due to this Vicki had not seen Cedric all week. Even in the classes she normally shared with him he was surrounded by other sixth years eagerly asking him about the egg and the clues hidden within it. Even in Potions where it had been all theory work at the tables and not practical work at the cauldrons.

Vicki could have easily grabbed Cedric or even viciously bared her teeth at the other students and claimed her stake on Cedric. But instead she kept her distance from him and let him soak up his attention. Even though she desperately wanted to talk to him, it was more important for Cedric to enjoy his time as champion.

"After dinner, I'm going to head up to the prefect's bathroom for a swim. Want to join me?" Cedric asked Vicki at the start of dinner as he singled her out and made a beeline for her, shrugging off his admirers.

"Sure, sounds great. I'll see you up there." Vicki beamed as she was happy she'd finally be able to spend time with her close friend.

She hadn't actively avoided Fred but she hadn't gone out of her way to spend extra time with him even though she had less time with Cedric. She and Fred still sat together and joked during Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts but she had not made plans to spend time together outside of class.

Vicki knew her head still wasn't completely in the right place and needed to clear things up before she would decide whether to pursue Fred or wait a bit longer before deciding to dip back into the dating pool. Fred also meant a great deal to her – she was scared of ruining their friendship.

Vicki scoffed down her dinner and ran back up to her dorm. She undressed, put her swimming costume on, put her uniform back on to cover herself up to the walk to the prefect's bathroom and then headed there straight away.

She saw that the bathroom was empty except for one figure who was sitting on the edge of the pool-sized bathtub with his legs swirling in the water.

"So I guess you must now really feel like a champion, right?" Vicki asked Cedric with a cheery smile on her face.

"I must admit it now has finally sunk in, yes." Cedric responded with a slight grin on his face.

"Although I noticed some of your admirers have moved onto Potter which is pretty funny as he's like ten years old," Vicki stated in a derogatory manner for humour before she grew serious again "It seems like the school is uniting again, bar Slytherin. Ravenclaws and surprisingly even Hufflepuffs have warmed up to the Gryffindors again."

"I'll admit I may have had a bit of a hand in that. Potter really saved my neck warning me about the dragons and all, so I've been asking everyone to be a little nicer to him." Cedric explained to Vicki.

"I think it's important for all houses to stick together and for us to unite as a school. You can't tell me that Delacour and Krum did not know about those dragons considering they came well prepared. Karkaroff's scores were ridiculous as well – 10 for Krum who's dragon squashed the eggs and then a low one towards everyone else. Pffffft." Vicki ranted loudly.

"It would be unsportsman-like for me to speak ill of one of the judges. But yes, I can see where you're coming from." Cedric responded with a small smile on his face.

After this topic Cedric and Vicki began to catch up on many things they had wanted to speak about in the absence of each other's company. He spoke about how nervous he was before, during and even after the task, and how he was silently struggling with the fame and admiration that was coming with it. Vicki on the other hand spoke about how hard her Arithmancy work had been.

Cedric began to dig a little about the recent break-up between her and Roger and asked if it had taken any kind of toll on her. Vicki relented and spoke a little about it. She however didn't go into as much detail as she normally did as she knew there was a whole new side she wanted to discuss with Cedric tonight, but she wanted to wait until the right time.

"Hey Vicki?" Cedric asked Vicki after they had a big splash war.

"Yeah?" Vicki responded as she calmed down and hoisted herself out of the water and back on the ledge to sit next to Cedric.

"I'm not meant to ask for help for the next task, but I really don't know what else to do. You helped me with learning Transfiguration, maybe your smart Ravenclaw head can help me with the egg." Cedric nervously stated to Vicki, licking his lips out of habit.

Vicki remained silent but sent a strong nod to Cedric to encourage him to keep talking.

"I've opened it a few times as it's meant to contain a clue towards the next task. But all I can hear when opened is a horrible screeching sound." Cedric cringed as he explained it to Vicki.

"You're going to have to be more descriptive. That is interesting though… the challenge is how to work out what to do with that horrible sound. You say it's a screeching sound – like what? Can you describe the sound?" Vicki asked curiously.

"I can't describe it. It's not like anything I've heard before," Cedric admitted before letting a sheepish smile appear over his face "Sorry, I know this doesn't help at all."

Vicki was silent as she began to digest what Cedric had told her.

"I've got this cassette tape player at home. It's a muggle musical device that when you put a tape in, it plays music. It's been used so many times the speakers have gone horrible, and when it's on full volume you can't hear a thing as it's so distorted. The only way you can ever make out any of the sounds properly is if you turn it down to a more quiet level. You need to muffle the sound on that egg." Vicki mused, explaining it as simply as she could as Cedric was foreign to the world of muggle electronics.

Cedric was silent for a while but then spoke up.

"Can I push the friendship and ask how one would muffle sound?" Cedric asked her.

"'Dunno sorry," Vicki shrugged "I'm sure there's spells to use, surely that's the trick you're meant to do anyway. Otherwise try putting a pillow over it."

"Thanks." Cedric warmly smiled towards her.

The two sat in silence as they swirled their legs in the water and enjoyed each other's company. It was at that moment that Vicki bought up the topic she had wanted to speak about all night.

"I don't know how to phrase this question without sounding weird. But do you ever think it's strange we haven't gotten together? I mean we get along so well..." Vicki nervously asked.

Cedric shot her an odd look and she knew he had taken her strange question the wrong way.

"This isn't a declaration of love, in fact it's the opposite. Normally when two teenagers of the opposite sex click so well their hormones go into overdrive and they get together. That was certainly the case with Roger and I. But us... we're comfortable and we're friends and that's it. It's a very rare gift I'm thankful for." Vicki explained further and she saw Cedric let out a sigh of relief.

"Ah yes, I get you. I had a similar conversation a few days ago with one of my dorm mates. He asked if I would consider you as a love interest. He joked saying we'd have beautiful children and we'd be the greatest Hogwarts power couple ever. It made me realise something." Cedric admitted.

"What?" Vicki asked curiously, not being able to contain herself.

"I like Cho so much that I wouldn't even think of another girl in a romantic sense. Would we get together if I didn't like Cho? Probably not. But as long as my heart yearns for her, there's no other option for me." Cedric sighed and Vicki couldn't tell whether it was one of happiness or one of sadness.

She wanted to say words of encouragement but she found herself stuck. Cedric's words seemed to unlock the last of her feelings as she felt she resonated with them. She certainly didn't think of anyone else romantically, just Fred.

She knew now she definitely had strong feelings for Fred Weasley.

"Can I ask who?" Cedric grinned towards Vicki as he had been studying her facial expressions.

"What are you on about?" Vicki responded as she twisted her face.

"You're thinking about someone, I can tell. Come on, who do you like? I told you about Cho when I first started liking her!" Cedric asked as he dipped his hands in the water and sent a splash towards Vicki.

"Okay! Okay. It's Fred. Fred Weasley." Vicki laughed, half out of amusement of being splashed but also because she was a bit nervous to be telling Cedric this information.

Cedric did nothing but wince which caused Vicki to panic.

"Oh it's nothing. He and his twin really don't like me, that's all." Cedric sheepishly smiled.

"Lucky you're not the one with a crush on him then." Vicki teased as she poked her tongue out.

But then it opened up a question in her own mind. How did Fred feel about her?

* * *

 **I can say a million things (including acknowledging that I haven't updated in forever) but will mention this is the chapter you've all been waiting for ;)**

 **In response to the reviews:**

 **ForeverTeamEdward13: Hopefully you enjoyed the Victoria/Fred this chapter but hey, even with them apart this chapter I'm sure you liked it hehe**

 **Raven Woods 2003: As above, hope you liked the interaction! Let me know.**

 **Paulies1994: If you sensed a love in the making last chapter I am very keen to hear your thoughts this chapter. They will definitely get together, it's just a matter of time now.**

 **grueneHimbeere: Thank you so much for your review, you seriously have no idea how much it means to me. I'm so glad you enjoy my story, but at the same time I'm taking your feedback on board for future chapters. I hope you have enjoyed this chapter - as thanks to you it pushed me to update. Thanks so much!**


	27. Chapter 27

"This has quite possibly been the best week ever." Vicki grinned to both Fred and George.

"I dunno. There's been very memorable weeks of my years at this school. Ron getting a howler was pretty funny, as was the time exams got cancelled because it turns out there was no longer a beast going around attempting to kill students, that was a pretty good week too." George spoke up, disagreeing with Vicki.

She pouted, which caused Fred to jump in.

"Very fine moments indeed. However I must agree with Vicki dearest. Watching pathetic people get rejected for the ball has been nothing short of hilarious. That stupid fifth year dibber dobber Vanessa Howles getting publicly rejected by that Slytherin made my year." Fred stated, casting a sidewards glance at Vicki as he spoke.

It was very rare for both twins to be spending time with Vicki. However this wasn't the first time this week they'd spent time together as a trio. In fact they had all put time aside each day to see each other – Lee had joined them a few times too.

"Maybe if I witnessed that one myself, then it would be the best week ever." George responded.

The prefects were the first ones informed of the Yule Ball. Professor McGonagall had called a meeting as she was deputy headmistress and had informed all of the prefects that a ball was coming up and it may cause students to act erratically in the lead up. It was up to the prefects to enforce stability in the student body in the lead up to the ball.

Then the next day the rest of the students were informed of the ball. McGonagall was right – it was causing students to act oddly. Girls were suddenly bursting into fits of giggles and the boys were doing everything they could to show off.

Then the ball invitations started. Fred and Vicki were walking to Transfiguration together one day when they noticed a fifth year Hufflepuff prefect that Fred had taken a disliking to nervously ask a popular fellow fifth year Slytherin boy to the ball. He nastily rejected her which made Vicki feel terrible for the girl. Until Fred told her that this girl had gotten him four detentions the previous year for dobbing him in for pranks the girl had witnessed before she had even become a prefect, apparently this year this girl was even worse.

This initially made Vicki feel uneasy as she was planning to ask Fred to the ball. What if she was just as brutally rejected as the younger Hufflepuff girl?

Throughout the week they began to notice the hotspots of ball invitations and spent their free time at these locations. It wasn't just the rejections they found amusing – but some of the cheesy ball invitations were funny to them as well. It had given the twins plenty of ammunition to tease a lot of students.

"Well I'm off. I've got potions. The rumour is that Mildred Tate is going to ask Cedric during this lesson. I'll tell you how it all goes if you catch up with me after dinner, kay?" Vicki grinned to both twins as she jumped off the ledge they were sitting on.

"When are we going to see you get involved in this ball action? You're Vicki Hartwell, surely you've been asked a lot by now." Fred quickly asked after her as she began to walk off, wanting to dig for information.

"Nope. I'm still a free agent. Haven't been asked once." Vicki turned around and shouted towards him as she walked backwards for a few moments to face him. She sent him a grin and turned around.

After her back was facing him again she began to scold herself for her interaction with Fred. She was worried she was coming on too strong, and looked too desperate. Then she grinned at herself as she felt butterflies erupt in her stomach. Her crush on Fred made her feel giddy and nervous, but she felt it was a pleasant sort of uncomfortable feeling. She felt alive and she felt excited. The past few months her romantic life made her feel upset and numb. She was ecstatic that life had been injected back into her – even if it made her feel nervous and vulnerable at times.

As Vicki turned a corner and left, George felt he could now ask Fred a question.

"So she's single and ready to mingle. Come on mate, when are you going to ask her to the ball?" George asked his twin.

"Tonight, after dinner." Fred stated. His words were said with confidence but he sent a nervous looking smile towards his brother. Fred too was uncharacteristically filled with butterflies inside and was so very afraid of asking Vicki to the Yule Ball.

* * *

"I don't care if some silly tradition is coming up. I expect you all to have this homework completed by next lesson. Then I'll be giving you your holiday homework. I hear other teachers are letting you slack off as the holidays are near, but I'm not your other teachers." Snape stated unpleasantly to the students who were packing up after the bell rang.

"Ah well. I expected that." Vicki shrugged to Cedric as they together packed up their cauldron, their supplies and their books.

"C-Cedric, can I speak to you for a minute." Mildred nervously asked as she approached the desk.

This caused Vicki to supress a smirk. The rumours were true, Mildred was about to ask Cedric to the ball. Vicki began to slow down as she packed up her belongings as she wanted to witness the events unfold so she could relay the information to the Weasley twins later.

"Sure." Cedric beamed towards Mildred.

Vicki scooped her books up into her arms and was going to pretend to dawdle when she felt a strong arm snag itself around her shoulder and begin to lead her off. She scowled as she saw that arm belong to her ex-boyfriend.

"Let's give Ced some privacy to reject Mildred Tate shall we?" Roger grinned as he began to lead her outside of the Potions dungeon.

Vicki went to protest at her ex boyfriend's advances but found herself unable to Roger forcefully dragged her away. Vicki figured Cedric would fill her in on the details later.

"So who are you accompanying to the ball?" Roger asked Vicki curiously once they were a distance away from the Potions classroom.

"I'm accompanying myself actually. Who are you going with? Probably Philip Bridge." Vicki snorted rudely, in an attempt to stop Roger from going somewhere she sensed he was going.

"Ha ha, very funny," Roger sarcastically retorted but then grew serious "Why don't we go together?"

Vicki stopped in the hallway causing people behind her to grow disgruntled as they had to negotiate their way around her and Roger. She was silent for a while and not before long the corridor was completely empty except for Vicki and Roger once more.

"Really? You're seriously asking me to the ball?" Vicki asked Roger cautiously as she raised an eyebrow.

"I know, I know. It sounds crazy. We don't have to go as lovers or as an item. It just makes sense, y'know. We're familiar to each other. It would just be as a friends thing, I promise." Roger quickly explained.

Vicki was once again silent as she was deep in thought. As she was thinking Mildred stormed past the two almost in tears, but Vicki still didn't say anything. She was seriously considering Roger's offer.

If she was in familiar company she would be more likely to enjoy the ball, she could understand Roger's point. Roger was her first boyfriend and her first lover and as much as she didn't like to admit it, she was comfortable with him when they were on good terms. She wouldn't want to ever get back together with him but she could be potentially open to attending the ball with him out of convenience.

But then she remembered the feelings that burst inside her when she spent time with Fred. She was dying to start building a relationship with Fred and she knew that going to the ball with Roger would jeopardise that – even if it was just platonically. To her it was more important to face rejection with Fred than it was to take the 'easy' option with Roger.

"Aren't you obsessed with Fleur Delacour? Why aren't you going to the ball with her?" Vicki shot at Roger, trying to find an easy way to turn Roger down without having to say the words 'no'.

"I am, yes. I asked her. She said she'd let me know if the boy she wants to go with, doesn't want to go with her." Roger coldly stated with a stone face.

"Merlin. Roger, you're better than that. You're one of the most sought after boys in this damn school, she should be lucky you even asked her. Don't let her treat you that way. Tell her to get stuffed and go with someone else." Vicki angrily spoke up, getting defensive for Roger's sake.

"Why do you think I'm asking you?" Roger weakly smiled.

"…and what happens if Fleur sees you're in hot demand and suddenly wants to go with you?" Vicki questioned Roger.

"I-er, well. We're only going as friends, so you'd be happy as my friend and would gladly step aside and understand that I needed to go with Fleur instead." Roger stumbled in his explanation knowing that no matter the way he phrased this it would not go down well.

"Screw you, I can't believe I even seriously considered this offer. Unfortunately for you I'm not as pathetic as you so I must decline your offer of being sloppy seconds. Besides, there's someone else I'm wanting to go with." Vicki screamed at Roger in rage as she turned on her heel and stormed off to head back up to the Great Hall.

Roger chased after her even weaving around crowds to attempt to keep up to Vicki as he kept trying to plead his case.

"Roger, go away. My answer is no!" Vicki snapped at Roger once he was able to catch her in the Entrance Hall as crowds began to make their way into the Great Hall for dinner.

"Aw, come on Vicki baby. We were great together. Don't you want to make a big scene? We'd be a couple that would give the champions a run for their money. We'd certainly make people talk if we went together. Doesn't that excite you?" Roger pleaded to Vicki.

Roger harassing Vicki caught the attention of both Weasley twins who were coming from the Gryffindor common room. Fred had been watching with a sharp eye as he was potentially seeing his worst fear – Roger and Vicki once again overcoming a break-up and getting back together. Emotions were running high within him.

However he was pleased to see Vicki was rejecting his advances very obviously and he decided to go intervene with George hot on his heels.

"Is he bothering you?" George piped up as he was the first to reach Roger and Vicki.

"No, not at all. Roger was just asking me to the ball and I said no." Vicki grinned causing Roger's face to redden in rage.

"Clear off Davies, the lady said no." Fred smirked happily. Roger had wanted Vicki to go to the ball with him and she had turned him down. It was now cemented that Roger and Vicki would never be getting back together and that Fred no longer had anything to fear.

"Whatever Weasley. I'm most likely going to the ball with Fleur Delacour anyway. Ridicule all you want." Roger snapped as he began to stalk off.

"Go with whoever you want. It doesn't change the fact you still got rejected by Hartwell first!" Both of the twins yelled after Roger in unison.

Roger chose to ignore the twins as he headed into dinner and Vicki sent a smile their way.

"Oh great, Diggory is coming." George mumbled to Fred as he saw Cedric approaching from the dungeons. Vicki didn't hear what George had to say but she turned to see what they were looking at and then smiled widely.

"I'll have a very good story for you soon. Cedric just rejected Mildred Tate. She approached him just as I was leaving and stormed past in tears moments later. If you want to meet after dinner I can tell you all the gossip." Vicki winked.

"I'll catch up with you both after dinner. Fred had something he wanted to ask you before dinner." George cheekily stated as he gave his brother a nudge and turned to walk into the Great Hall.

Vicki gaped at George's departure. She suddenly wanted to send Cedric away as she was dying to know what Fred could possibly want – was he going to ask her to go to the ball with him? Cedric however was a good friend and she couldn't selfishly ignore him because his presence was inconvenient. Besides, she would only be a moment.

She put up a finger to indicate 'one second' to Fred as she stepped away and approached Cedric.

"What went down?" Vicki asked Cedric curiously.

"Mildred asked me to the ball. I uh, had to say no. It was really hard. But I have my heart set on going with someone else." Cedric awkwardly informed her as he put his hands in his robe pockets and looked down.

Vicki knew he was referring to Cho and she sent him a sympathetic smile.

"Just ask her already dammit, I know this girl is going to say yes!" Vicki piped up.

Cedric sent her a grin before asking the question he had specifically approached her to ask.

"What happened with Davies? Please don't tell me you two got back together. It would simply break my heart." Cedric pleaded with her with concern etched over his face.

"Oh, god no. Actually he told me he was only asking me as a back-up. So I'm still very much available for the right person to ask me to the ball!" Vicki chimed in loudly.

Vicki's intention was to be loud enough for Fred to overhear. If he was about to ask her to the ball Vicki was hoping this statement would give him enough courage to bite the bullet and do it. If Fred had understood this was Vicki's intention her plan very much would have worked – he was very keen to go to the ball with Vicki. A bold indicator from her would have pushed him to finally ask her out. However in this instance Fred had misunderstood what she was attempting to do and thought she was giving Cedric the green light to ask her to the ball.

It didn't help that Cedric got the same impression as Fred.

"Oh. In that case then, do you want to go to the ball with m-" Cedric began to ask, but before he could finish his sentence Fred had approached the two.

"Yeah, I need to go to dinner. I'll see you around." Fred bluntly said to Vicki as he jabbed his finger towards the Great Hall. He did not want to be watching Cedric successfully ask Vicki to the Yule Ball.

"Oh. I'll grab you after dinner!" Vicki called out to him.

Fred bitterly sulked as he walked into the Great Hall. He ignored everyone else as he gloomily sat next to his twin. He did not speak up but began to grab food to pile his plate in order to avoid his brother's watchful gaze.

"How'd it go?" George finally asked Fred.

"Didn't ask her. Diggory asked her first, after she basically begged him to." Fred shrugged in an effort to downplay the negative emotions running through his head.

George didn't speak up but instead put a hand on Fred's shoulder sympathetically. He knew Fred well. George knew Fred right now didn't want attention bought to what had happened. This was George's way of silently showing sympathy.

"I'm going to ask Angelina to the ball instead. Probably better for things to turn out this way anyway." Fred finally spoke up just as he was finishing his dinner.

"Fair enough." George responded after a few moments when Fred didn't elaborate on why it was better for him to go with Angelina.

* * *

For once in his life Fred wasn't in good spirits as he made his way to the agreed upon spot where he would be spending time with Vicki. She had approached him after dinner the previous night asking what he had wanted to ask her. Fred made up a story that he needed to ask her what she recommended putting into a letter he and George were going to send Bagman and then quickly found an excuse to depart from her.

He was angry but his anger wasn't directly related towards Vicki. He was angry at the situation. That he was so close to potentially asking her to go out with him but instead pretty boy Diggory had once again won.

But he was determined to not unleash his annoyances onto Vicki directly. He had recently gotten into a disagreement with her and was not keen to go through that negative experience again. Instead he would see how things would pan out and would go from there.

The twins wrinkled both of their noses as they stepped foot into the library. It was a very rare sight to see them both here but Vicki had insisted when she ran into them earlier today.

They saw Vicki sitting at table with two other girls and made a beeline for her.

"I still don't understand how you can find this entertaining. Wouldn't you rather get your work done?" Hermione Granger asked the two other girls on her table distastefully.

"Fred and George have been telling me how great it is to watch these ball shenanigans. Now that I have a date and I can actually go, I thought I'd join in and watch." Ginny, the youngest Weasley child shrugged as she sent a grin towards Vicki.

Vicki had run into Fred, George and their younger sister Ginny in the corridors earlier. Vicki hadn't spent too much time with Ginny but enjoyed her company at the World Cup and was more than happy to engage in conversation with her. Once Ginny stepped out of her shy shell Vicki thought she was a riot and invited her to come to the library with her. Ginny accepted, and the twins said they would join them later.

They ended up sitting on Hermione's table. Ginny of course was very friendly with her older fellow house member. Vicki was also on fairly good terms with Hermione as she had been spending some time in the library to get away from Roger in the Ravenclaw common room. Whilst Hermione was always happy to spend time with either Ginny or Vicki, under these circumstances she certainly wasn't.

"Hello girls." George boasted loudly as he occupied the seat next to Ginny.

"Hey! Before you guys sit down, um Fred, can we speak for a second? Alone?" Vicki asked coyly.

She decided to finally do it. As entertaining as she had found the last week she also felt she were in mental agony the entire time. Asking Fred to the ball had been hanging over her head. She was going to put herself out of her misery and finally do it. The worst he could do was say no.

"Sure." Fred responded off-guard, having no time to think of a funny response as Vicki jumped off her chair and began to lead him off to a secluded area amongst the bookshelves. George shot a look towards the pair as they walked off but this was missed by both Fred and Vicki.

Fred watched carefully as Vicki looked around to make sure they were alone. He then watched as she looked up at him and nervously bit her lip. He thought she looked utterly adorable and knew he needed to speak up to distract himself.

"So why'd you drag me off and why do you need to speak to me. Not going to ask me to the Yule Ball are you?" Fred asked sarcastically with an amused smirk on his face.

"Well um, yeah. Actually I am," Vicki responded as she looked down and nervously played with the hem of her skirt "So uh, do you want to go to the ball with me?"

* * *

 **So I've gotten sick - I've got a million things going on in life at the moment so today I chose to call in sick at work. I spent the whole day writing this and watching Dragon Ball. Not gonna lie, it was awesome.**

 **Sorry for the cliffhanger, but at least this chapter came out a LOT sooner than expected! In response to the reviews...**

 **ForeverTeamEdward13: If you were excited about her admitting she likes him, can't wait to see your reaction about her actually finally asking him out! haha.**

 **Raven Woods 2003: I hope this is a good indicator of the Vicki x Fred action to come hehe. I'm so excited to write Vicki x Fred moments, I can assure you there is a lot more where this came from.**

 **grueneHimbeere: Thanks so much for your review - I've re-read it once more and it's almost as if you vaguely predicted this chapter - as one of them FINALLY took a big step towards something bigger. I'm also glad you mentioned you like that I give the shoutouts. Sometimes I'm paranoid I'm wasting space and that it annoys people, so I'm glad it's being seen as my way of giving back :) thanks so much for your continued support!**

 **Lelleg: Glad to see you're still reading :) thanks so much!**


	28. Chapter 28

Fred blinked in confusion as he was processing Vicki's proposal. She was actually asking him to go to the ball with her. This was his wildest dream coming true.

He expected her to tap her foot impatiently or demand an answer in his silence. Instead she was avoiding his eye contact and looked nervous. He had never seen her look so vulnerable before. Normally she was prepared and composed.

Fred didn't really know what to do.

"What about Diggory? When I left you last night he was in the middle of asking you." Fred asked Vicki.

"He did, yeah. But I turned him down. There's someone else he really wants to go with, he was just asking me out of obligation." Vicki responded but felt panic rise in her chest.

Vicki wasn't a cold person but she still didn't wear her heart on her sleeve. She was a clever Ravenclaw who tried to be logical rather than emotional. With every one of her past crushes that actually did have something happen she either waited for the boy to make the first move – or it was a very obvious mutual feeling and she calculated the risk first. In this instance she was putting herself out there, and she could sense hesitation from Fred. She wasn't comfortable one bit.

"So Diggory is definitely going with someone else – as is Davies?" Fred repeated.

"Yep. The girl Cedric wanted to go with just happened to walk past as I was saying no, so I literally threw her into Cedric so she would bump into him and he would ask her, and he did. You saw me say no to Roger. So I've turned both Cedric and Roger down…" Vicki went on to explain.

"For me? Or are you just asking because you have no one to go with?" Fred asked her in disbelief as so many questions kept popping up in his mind.

"Well yeah. I really want to go with you. Don't keep a girl hanging, do you want to go with me or not?" Vicki said as her cheeks reddened, a very forced smile on her face as she secretly wanted to go curl up into a ball in a corner. She knew this wasn't going very well.

"I do. I really do – but unfortunately I already asked Angelina last night. She said yes." Fred stated sadly as he felt his stomach drop. He just did something he never thought he would ever do – turn down an advance from Victoria Hartwell.

"Oh," Vicki said sadly. It hurt, but she had been anticipating this since she asked Fred as he didn't seem positive about her proposal. "That's awesome! You've liked her for a while. I'm happy for you!"

Fred felt many emotions surge through him. The whole situation was killing him on the inside and he knew there was nothing he could do about it.

"I don't like her in that way, honest. I was actually going to ask you last night first but I thought you were going with Diggory." Fred sadly stated.

Vicki felt a bittersweet feeling at this revelation. She didn't know whether she should be happy she was Fred's first choice or not. She felt it didn't make it easier on her to know she had come so close to being his date to the ball.

"Well, it is what it is. Say, were you going to ask me as friends or as something more?" Vicki slyly asked in an attempt to hide how hurt she was feeling, even though she didn't blame Fred for the situation.

Fred felt himself freeze at Vicki's question. She had caught him off guard and he didn't know what to do. It was a very emotionally charged conversation and he knew he had upset her indirectly by asking Angelina to the ball. He wasn't sure whether it was an appropriate time to reveal his feelings. Especially as he wasn't quite sure of what feelings she held towards him.

"Well what were you asking me as? Have you succumbed to my charm or what?" Fred shot back suddenly.

Vicki cocked her head at Fred's words. She was wanting to get her crush on him off her chest but had decided enough was enough and held herself back. She felt he clearly didn't hold any romantic feelings for her based on her conversation with him today. She also felt she couldn't take anymore rejections from him today and thus she would keep her mouth shut.

"You wish, jellyfish. I just thought you'd be a fun date, that's all. Everyone is taking the ball so seriously. It'd be nice to go with someone goofy who would make it fun." Vicki shrugged as she ignored the feelings building up inside of her.

"Same here. Oh well. I'm sure I'll still have fun with Ange and you'll have fun with…whoever you're going with." Fred responded trying to sound light-hearted.

Vicki just sent him a nod as she began to make her way back to the group. As far as she was concerned this conversation was over as her confidence could not take another beating.

Fred scurried behind her and tried to maintain a smile on his face to keep up appearances.

"Oi, what did Vicki want?" George asked loudly once the two made their way back to the table.

"I asked Fred to the ball but was bitterly rejected as I didn't realise he had already asked the beautiful Angelina Johnson to the ball. Karma I guess, for rejecting both Cedric and Roger yesterday." Vicki grinned. She wanted to joke about the situation to make it seem less of a deal than it was.

Every occupant of the table quickly snapped their eyes towards Fred. Even Hermione who never got involved in pointless gossip raised her head at this revelation. It was no secret to those in Fred's circle of friends that Fred was hopelessly obsessed with Vicki. They knew that this was a big deal.

"So uh, have there been any funny Krum happenings today?" Fred asked the group in an attempt to shift the topic quickly.

Surprisingly it was Hermione who spoke up.

"Yes. As always, he has a gaggle of girls spying on him. It's quite annoying that he spends so much time in the library. Can't he and his girls go elsewhere?" Hermione stated sounding quite frustrated.

"That's the only thing that would summon Fred and I to the library." George began.

"Not for Krum of course. But to watch the pathetic girls get turned down one after the other. It's quite amusing." Fred added on with a large grin.

Hermione just shook her head angrily and Ginny giggled at her twin brothers. Fred's attention was on Vicki, who had a sad smile on her face and began to pack up her belongings. It was only then he realised how poor of a choice his words were considering he had just turned down Vicki.

"I need to bounce. I promised to compare Transfiguration notes with Stephanie before bed. I'll catch you all later. Please let me know if any really funny things happen with Krum's fangirls that I might miss." Vicki stated as she slung her book bag over one shoulder and stood up.

Everybody bid her goodbye. Hermione stuck her nose back into her book which just left the twins and Ginny.

"Surely Vicki will get another date, right? I've overheard so many boys say they want to ask her but they're too shy. She promised that I could get ready with her and her friend Stephanie Fawcett in the prefect's bathroom on the night of the ball!" Ginny blabbed on.

Fred turned around as he watched Vicki head out of the exit and turn the corner out of sight. Both of them were dying on the inside and unfortunately nothing could be done about it.

* * *

It was the last day of term and rather than be happy and celebrating this fact with her fellow students, Victoria Hartwell was rather quiet. After a good night's sleep she felt a little less torn up than she did the previous night about Fred turning down her invitation as he had asked Angelina instead.

She still didn't like to think about it. It wasn't even due to the fact that Fred was going with Angelina. It was because Vicki felt that based on their interactions as she asked him, that Fred did not return her feelings. She was wrong – but unfortunately the girl did not know this.

Watching the ball shenanigans suddenly didn't feel as joyous to her as it had over the past week and thus she had avoided not only Fred and George but most of the student body entirely.

Her last class for the term was Potions. As she had been avoiding everyone she had yet to tell Cedric the grim news that her crush had asked another girl to the ball.

"I must say, I'm quite looking forward to the ball now that I have a date." Cedric cheerfully stated to Vicki after Snape had stopped talking and was allowing the students to make their potions.

"Hey Cedric, Vicki! On behalf of my best friend Roger, thanks to the both of you!" Phillip Bridge loudly called from the back of the room causing Vicki and Cedric to turn around and face him.

"…why?" Vicki asked cautiously as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Cedric just turned down Fleur in the Entrance Hall when she asked him to the ball. You also turned down Roger a few days ago. This has allowed Roger to be free to accept Fleur's second round offer, as Cedric was taken. Thanks team." Phillip winked and sent the two a thumbs up.

Vicki just rolled her eyes and turned back to face the front. Cedric only sent a small smile Phillip's way before he did the same.

Vicki wished she didn't turn to the front as she was greeted by the sight of Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnett at the cauldron to her front left giggling and comparing sketches of their dresses.

"Are you going to colour-match your dress robes with Fred's dress robes? You'll need to find something that doesn't clash with his hair." Alicia loudly stated to Angelina.

Vicki loudly sighed and rested her head on her desk. This was not a conversation she was wanting to overhear right now.

"Are you alright?" Cedric asked Vicki kindly as he worked out what was going on based on what he too was overhearing.

Vicki only let out a loud groan as she looked towards the two Gryffindor girls who were oblivious to the pain they were inflicting onto Vicki.

Cedric decided to remain silent and resumed working on the potion they had to conjure. He was confident enough to do the work himself and let his friend wallow for a while.

After a while Vicki lifted her head from her arms and began to spy on Angelina and Alicia. Vicki had never had a problem with Angelina. Until right now.

Vicki couldn't stand the way Angelina would tilt her head back to laugh and let her hair swish side to side. She hated the way Angelina licked her finger to turn the page of her Potions textbook. Vicki was also sick of seeing Angelina clap her hands in an excited manner when she noticed her potion brewing successfully.

"Why wouldn't he like her? She seems amazing. I want to hate her and I'm finding what seems to be genuine reasons in my head. But I know I'm just hurt and being irrational and bitchy." Vicki sighed to Cedric, speaking up for the first time in a while.

"Well I'm glad you're being logical about the situation." Cedric stated. He wasn't really sure how to comfort his friend and instead was just going to try and lend a sympathetic ear.

"They have more in common too. You know, her being a great Quiddich player, and a fellow Gryffindor. It's actually kind of annoying. Not only has every single Hartwell ever been a Gryffindor, they've all been amazing Quiddich players too. Maxwell, my father was Gryffindor Quiddich captain. Andrew, my grandfather was Gryffindor Quiddich captain. Then there's me. Broke centuries worth of tradition and became a Ravenclaw nerd." Vicki explained to Cedric.

"Would you give it up though? Would you rather have let the hat put you in Gryffindor just for a boy? Or would you rather you be you, and be a Ravenclaw?" Cedric asked her.

Vicki sat up straight. For the first time in nearly twenty four hours her head was clear purely based on what Cedric was asking her. She was damn house proud and wouldn't change a thing if it meant she wasn't a dedicated Ravenclaw. It was the first time she had stopped to think that maybe, just maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that she wasn't going to the ball with Fred.

"Heck no. The house of Ravenclaw comes before any damn boy on this earth." Vicki boasted loudly, which earned the attention of the rest of the class. She found herself smirking a little when she noticed Angelina and Alicia look over, with Alicia Spinnett rolling her eyes strongly.

"Damn straight!" Phillip Bridge yelled loudly from the back.

"See. I'm glad that you are who you are. If that's not suited to Weasley's tastes, then he's the one missing out." Cedric stated to Vicki, glad he had managed to cheer her up.

"Ced, you're lucky I am who I am. Because I can confidently tell you that you need to add a teaspoon of bulls eyes to that potion or it'll soon blow up in your face." Vicki giggled, her first genuine laugh since the previous night.

Vicki was in a good mood for the rest of the lesson. She managed to smile and joke with Cedric as they finished off their potion. Snape even graded them an Exceeds Expectations as Vicki managed to fix the mess that Cedric had created.

Vicki was about to head off before she saw Graham Montague tap her on the shoulder.

"May I walk you to dinner?" Graham asked Vicki, but also averted his gaze to Cedric as a subtle way of asking for Cedric's permission to take Vicki off him.

"I might go ahead. I promised Cho I'd get to know her a bit before the ball. See you later." Cedric responded before he gripped his bag tightly and raced off, leaving Graham and Vicki alone.

"So uh, how have you been?" Vicki asked nervously as she realised it had been a while since she had spoken to Graham.

"I've been good. What about you? You looked a bit upset before. Hope you're okay." Graham stated with concern in his eyes.

Vicki was touched that he had paid enough attention from the other side of the classroom to see she wasn't feeling herself. However she still didn't want him to know the real reason why she was upset earlier.

"Yeah, it was nothing. Just a bit stressed with so many things coming up, but I feel loads better now. Why did you want to chat anyway?" Vicki asked Graham as they slowly made their way up to dinner.

Graham stopped in his tracks as he became increasing nervous at what he wanted to do. After all when he had previously poured his heart out to Vicki it hadn't worked in his favour. She hadn't rejected him – but she hadn't embraced him. It was a risky move but one he knew he had to take.

"Um…well…you know I like you. So I was um…err…wondering if you'd perhaps consider going to the Yule Ball with me?" Graham stumbled out once Vicki had stopped and turned to face him.

Vicki should have thought about this. She should have considered it was a bad idea to accept the invitation of an unfortunate poor bot who's feelings she didn't return. She should have realised this was an awful way to attempt a relationship with Fred – accepting a ball invitation from a Quiddich rival from his rival house.

But instead she was still incredibly hurt. She wasn't quite rational at the moment. A ball invitation to her was a chance to not attend the event alone and would prove a distraction to the fact that Fred was going with someone else. Therefore she didn't even think about it before the words came out of her mouth.

"Sure, sounds great." She shrugged with a small smile as she began to walk again.

"I think tha- really? You're happy to go with me?" Graham asked in shock, changing his sentence halfway through as he wasn't preparing for her to say yes so easily.

"Definitely. We've got a week to work out the details. Let's catch up tomorrow and discuss." Vicki responded as they stepped into the Great Hall.

"I'd love that!" Graham beamed.

As most students were already at dinner Fred and George were already seated at the Gryffindor table. Angelina was in front of him and was relaying to him what she and Alicia had discussed in Potions.

He didn't want to appear rude and was nodding and sending out an 'uh huh' periodically as Angelina was discussing what colour dress robes they should both wear to the event. However his mind and heart certainly were not in the conversation.

"Speaking of things that were discussed in Potions. I overheard Montague tell his potions partner he was going to ask Hartwell to the ball. Rumour is apparently she's turned down both Diggory and Davies. What are Montague's chances?" Alicia Spinnett grinned towards the table.

George shot a look towards his twin next to him and Fred avoided his gaze. It was inevitable that Vicki would get other invitations to the ball and he already knew that Montague harboured feelings towards her. Fred still didn't like to think about it, but he knew it was a cold hard reality he had to face.

"Do you think she said yes?" Angelina asked as she looked over her shoulder and saw Montague and Vicki standing at the entrance of the Great Hall talking.

To Fred's delight he saw Montague lean in to attempt to plant a quick kiss on Vicki. She quickly turned her head so his lips instead landed on her cheek and Vicki gave Montague a sly smile as she walked away.

"Considering he just got shut down, I don't think she did." George grinned as he nudged Fred.

Fred said nothing but he kept darting his eyes between Vicki and Montague. Montague didn't seem too phased by Vicki not letting him kiss her as he still had a goofy smile on his face as he made his way to the Slytherin table. Montague even leaned in to tell one of his friends something and the friend ended up high fiving him.

However when he saw Vicki sit next to Stephanie Fawcett it was apparent what the answer was. Vicki said something to Stephanie with a sheepish smile on her face and Fawcett put her hands to her mouth in shock before emitting a piercing squeal that bounced around the walls of the Great Hall, and put her arms around Vicki for a large hug.

"Well that confirms it. Montague and Vicki are going to the ball together. Apparently Fawcett has been pushing Vicki towards Montague even when Vicki was still with Davies. Vicki definitely has said yes to Montague." Fred explained loudly to the table.

The girls present began to gossip about this news but Fred drowned them out as he looked down at the table. He knew he had no right to be angry or disappointed by this news as he was Vicki's first choice and he was the one who turned her down. But he was still feeling sorry for himself and frustrated at the situation.

His eyes flickered back onto the Slytherin table. He saw Montague and his friends still talking instead of eating, making rude sexual gestures with their hands and it was obvious it was about Montague and Vicki.

Even though a burning rage was convulsing through Fred at this sight, his mind went clear. He suddenly felt certain about the situation. This wasn't over. He had been passive about his feelings for Vicki since they had developed the previous school year but he had never acted upon them as she was with Davies at the time.

That was not the case anymore. He may be attending the ball with Angelina and Vicki with Montague, but that wasn't going to stop him from fighting for his girl, even long after the ball was over.

* * *

 **Yeah I better go hide from all the rotten tomatoes you all probably want to pelt at me right now. But I PROMISE this is one of those "one step back, two steps forward" kind of deals - and Vicki and Fred getting together is closer than you could possibly know.**

 **In response to the reviews:**

 **grueneHimbeere: Unfortunately as always, you predicted it correctly - and in this case that's a bad thing as Fred did get to Angelina first :( Although the good news is that I did take the next day off work and wrote the bulk of this, meaning it was released a lot faster (and it means that the good stuff will come faster too!)**

 **ForeverTeamEdward13: Apology for the cliffhangers, cliffhangers suck! I also apologise for this part, haha.**

 **Raven Woods 2003: Roger is massively a bum, at least he's sloppy seconds now hehe**

 **Paulies1994: I've responded to your PM with top secret information ;) Although I will publicly state love is DEFINITELY in the air, and at least Fred is now willing to fight for what he wants.**


	29. Chapter 29

_Hi Vicki!_

 _Things around here are pretty boring. There hasn't even been any juicy goss to share with you. However after Christmas holidays I'll hopefully have some interesting things to tell you._

 _Sounds like you're having a more interesting life at the moment! Sucks to hear that guy you like turned you down. I never thought I'd see the day you'd have a problem getting a guy, usually they're flocking all over you._

 _Lisa read your letter and she thinks going to your school formal with that guy's enemy is a bad idea. Apparently she tried the jealousy thing with her ex and it backfired, but that's probably because she's a bit desperate. I think giving that guy a run for his money is a good idea._

 _Anyway Happy Christmas and I expect another letter from you after your formal telling me how it goes. I am a bit disappointed I won't be seeing you this Christmas – but I'd stay at boarding school over Christmas too if my school had a dance with lush guys._

 _Talk soon_

 _Sarah xo_

Vicki had just finished reading the letter when a voice behind her gave her a fright.

"Can you believe Christmas is tomorrow? I can't believe it. It's a shame these holidays are going so quickly, before we know it term will start again." Fred whined as he approached the bench Vicki was sitting on and came up behind her suddenly.

Vicki felt Fred's head so close to her shoulder and felt his warm breath on her cheek. She scrambled to put the letter from her muggle best friend into her robe pocket before she registered just how close he was.

She was wishing he would put his head on her shoulder and hug her from behind but shook her head and snapped out of it.

"I've already done my holiday homework. I've been kind of avoiding people this week as everybody has been going crazy preparing for the ball. How pathetic can you get?" Vicki spoke up after Fred took the seat next to her.

"Who's pathetic? The ball people or you for doing homework?" Fred teased her with a poke on her side.

Vicki just gave him a mock glare and chose not to respond to his taunts.

"Bagman wrote to me last night. He said he's coming to the ball and asked me to save a dance for him. You've locked me out of your Bagman scheming lately but if you need me to lure him somewhere for you just let me know." Vicki weakly smiled.

Fred felt his stomach drop. He had purposely avoided getting Vicki involved with the Bagman scheming as both he and George thought it was beginning to get a little too risky. Bagman seemed to have a very strong and creepy obsession with her and it was no longer safe to use Vicki as bait. He also didn't like that he wasn't her date and thus couldn't protect her.

"How would Montague feel if you danced with Bagman?" Fred teased her as he gave her a light shove.

"I don't really give two hoots what Montague thinks. He's not the boss of me." Vicki immaturely stated as she crossed her arms in a huff.

This made Fred grin as he gained courage to ask her a question. He absolutely despised the fact Vicki was going to the ball with a Slytherin he detested but it was comments like that which made him feel a bit better about the situation.

"Do you have any plans for Christmas Day? Why don't you spend some of it with us Weasleys?" Fred asked his crush hopefully.

"Well, if Percy was still here I'd have to turn you down. But he's not. So that sounds great. I guess I'll meet you in the Entrance Hall before lunch and sit at the Gryffindor table with you?" Vicki accepted.

Fred beamed at Vicki's proposal before the two changed the topic and would go on to talk for the next hour before the curfew warning.

* * *

"How's your haul this year?" Stephanie Fawcett asked Vicki as she finished opening her last present and made the wrapping paper disappear with her wand.

Vicki, who had only just woken up and was still quite groggy only lazily pointed to the pile of presents at the end of her bed.

"My parents already told me what they're sending me – a muggle polaroid camera. I've always wanted one." Vicki sleepily responded.

Having no shame Steph scampered over and began reading the tags on the presents. She squealed when she read one of the names and threw it towards Vicki.

"Montague got you a present!" she clapped happily.

Vicki unwrapped the present and was greeted with a long jewellery box. She opened it up and cast her eyes upon its contents which was a necklace with a fine silver chain and a handsome gemstone as the centrepiece – although Vicki couldn't tell what the stone was made out of.

"That looks really expensive! Those Slytherin old families really have lots of money don't they? I wish Kyle got me a present like that." Steph pouted.

Vicki remained silent as she put the box to the side, planning to wear the necklace to the ball later. She felt guilty that she had only gotten him a few boxes of Bertie Botts.

She went to her pile to unwrap the next present and one in particular stood out to her as it had Fred's name on it. She eagerly opened it and found inside a bracelet. It was nowhere near as spectacular or shiny as the necklace that Montague had bought her. But that didn't matter to Vicki, this was more personalised.

On the bracelet was a single charm, a Ravenclaw Eagle. Wrapped around the bracelet was a note.

 _I was tempted to get a lion charm to annoy you haha, but if I bothered to get you a present I guess I should do it right._

 _Fred._

Vicki smirked at the note and Steph read it over Vicki's shoulder.

"That's cute. You can tell he really thought about your present as he knows how much you love this house. Wish I had two guys vying for my attention. I mean Montague is hotter, but-" Steph began to blab on but was cut off by Vicki interrupting her.

"What do you mean by that? Fred isn't vying for anything. He likes Angelina and he now has her." Vicki bluntly stated.

"Y-you didn't know? Merlin Victoria half of sixth year know it by now. You spend so much time with the guy and never picked up on it? Roger never said anything?" Steph asked Vicki with wide eyes.

"What on earth are you on about?" Vicki impatiently asked.

"Vicki. Fred Weasley is absolutely crazy for you. Most people in our year level can tell. Roger used to loudly complain about it. For a bright witch you sure can be incredibly clueless." Steph teased her.

Vicki was silent as she was lost in thought. Steph could see this on her best friend and told her she was going down to the Common Room and that Vicki could join her when ready. This left Vicki alone to collect her thoughts.

Vicki then began to replay thoughts in her head. There were some instances where Fred could have been showing interest or was just being friendly. But he had stated he was intending to ask Vicki to the ball first. Vicki assumed this was just his way of nicely letting her down – but maybe there was some truth to it?

She knew today wasn't a good day to ask him about it. It was Christmas and they were both going to the ball with other people. But Vicki was planning on seeing whether Fred continued to date Angelina after the Christmas period was over. If not, she knew it was fair game to finally discuss her feelings with Fred and see if he felt the same way.

Vicki opened the rest of her presents from her friends and family. She couldn't wipe the grin off her face as she did so. She eventually made her way down to the Common Room where her happiness would be taken off her.

"I'm surprised you ladies aren't already getting ready for the ball. Aren't girls meant to take hours to get ready?" Phillip Bridge teased the sixth year girls as he approached them, chocolate fudge in his hands.

For once it wasn't Vicki who took the bait from Phillip, it was Steph.

"Buzz off, Bridge. Just because you couldn't get a date to the ball." Steph bitterly retorted.

"Harsh." Phillip sarcastically responded.

"Well you can build a bridge and get over it, ha ha. Get it? Your last name is Bridge?" Vicki dryly joked, stealing a piece of fudge from Phillip as Steph was left gaping at the horrible joke.

"I must say that I like you a whole lot more than I used to, Victoria. Montague will be in for a fun night with you as his date." Phillip stated.

This seemed to bring Vicki back down to earth as Phillip's comment was a cruel reminder to her that she wasn't going to the ball with the person she really wanted to.

This caused Vicki to depart from the common room after telling her fellow six years that she was hungry and craved food. She slowly walked down to the Great Hall as she collected her thoughts. She felt absolutely happy that Steph had the opinion that Fred liked her. But it then raised a lot of anxious feelings inside her too. What if she made a move and once again felt his bitter rejection?

She had no time to mull over these thoughts as her vision went dark as she was making her way down. Before she could let out a scream her sight came back and she saw the grinning faces of the two Weasley twins.

"Why have you put a jumper on me?" Vicki asked in confusion.

"It came from our mum." George stated.

"What do you have against our dear old mother? Is her knitting not good enough? Are you saying she has poor taste in jumpers? That's incredibly rude." Fred joked, adding onto what George was saying.

Knowing it was a joke the twins were playing to try and make her uncomfortable Vicki knew better than to bite and give them the satisfaction of getting a reaction from her. Instead she continued with her line of questioning.

"Why'd your mum send me a Christmas jumper? Why not send it to me directly then?" Vicki asked the twins.

"She thinks very highly of you it seems. She's still very grateful that you helped us out at the World Cup. She sent it to us as she felt she didn't want to intrude on your Christmas morning, you know by receiving a present from someone who wasn't a friend or family." George responded.

"Apparently Ginny or Ron also mentioned in a letter that we spend lots of time together. She was wondering why my marks were improving and did some digging but won't reveal her source. She's convinced you can turn my life into academic bliss so you're basically my saviour to her. Or perhaps hers." Fred shrugged.

"Now come on. Less questions, more eating. For this is the one day a year the teachers will let a common Ravenclaw like you to sit at the best table in this place. You gotta make the most of it." George urged Vicki as he extended an arm out to her. She accepted it, and made a chain as she extended her own arm out to Fred.

Vicki sat with the Weasleys during Christmas lunch – with Harry Potter and Hermione Granger joining them. They ate to the heart's content and pulled apart many wizard crackers. Vicki had her polaroid camera with her and snapped many photos of them all looking goofy with their silly has and "Weasley jumpers" as Vicki had been informed they were called.

After they had finished their meals with stuffed bellies they still managed to waddle down to the outside grounds where they all participated in a vicious snowball fight. Vicki had joined Harry and Ron's team, whilst they were up against Ginny, Fred and George. Hermione had chosen to sit out and watch the snow fight unfold.

After a while it became noticeable to everyone that Fred and Vicki had abandoned the group fight and instead were wrapped up in their own little fight. Fred was throwing powerful snowballs at Vicki with lots of might, whilst she was using her wand and making them turn to water on impact, spraying all over Fred.

"Watch out Hartwell. I'm going to get you." Fred mischievously smirked as he threw a snowball at her.

"Ooh resorting to last names. Shaking in my boots." Vicki retorted as she mirrored his smirk.

With no warning he pounced on her, holding her tightly from behind and pushing a snowball under her collar causing the cool ice to contact her skin directly.

Rather than getting annoyed about it, Vicki went limp. Her back was turned to Fred so he couldn't see her shock but her eyes widened. Clarity washed over her and she finally could understand why the entire sixth year study body could see what she couldn't.

All of Fred's flirting attempts with her had been extremely subtle based on his usual nature. Vicki was used to his joking and pranking ways because that's who Fred was. All of his actual flirting had been lost on her because she didn't differentiate it from his normal self. Until right now.

As much as Vicki wanted to stay still and let him hold her from behind she had something she needed to do. It wasn't an appropriate time or date to spill her feelings and see if he felt the same, but she was open to some digging through her actions instead.

She turned around and grinned at Fred before slowly approaching him. She clung onto him as she let the wet melted snow transfer from her jumper to Fred's jumper.

"Payback! If you're going to make me wet and cold you're going down with me." Vicki giggled as she finished and took just a slight step back.

"Alright, fine. I'm ready to give up and call this one a draw." Fred laughed back.

They continued laughing for a few seconds but as the moment passed they both fell silent. They were both very aware of just how close they were to one another. Fred was studying Vicki's face to try and find clues of what she was thinking about. Not succeeding in his task he decided to take the plunge and ask her.

"A knut for your thoughts?" Fred asked, his arms still lightly around Vicki's torso.

"Do you actually have a knut? Because I don't work for make believe money." Vicki asked curiously.

She was attempting to avoid having to tell Fred what was actually running through her head. She wanted to badly tell him about the crush she had developed on him, and she wanted to tell him how much she wanted to kiss him right now. It was a feeling burning so brightly inside her that she almost didn't care that in a few hours time they were attending a ball with other people.

She did however fear rejection. She was crushed the first time he rejected her and she couldn't possibly take it a second time. Vicki was a strong girl and didn't believe it was always up to the boy to make the first move – but she'd need stronger signals from Fred should she pluck the courage to try again.

"Actually, I do. I've got several on me as those Canary Creams have been flying out the door," Fred stated as he dug through his pockets and pulled one out before handing it to her "Here ya go. I've just purchased your thoughts. Tell me!"

Vicki sighed and smiled a little as she ran a hand through her hair.

"I was wondering why on earth the Sorting Hat wanted me to be in Gryffindor over Ravenclaw before I argued for Ravenclaw. I'm not brave. I can't even gather the courage to ask someone this tiny thing." Vicki truthfully responded.

"Well if this thing is running through your mind as I'm holding you I'm guessing it involves me. What do you need to ask me?" Fred asked her curiously as he held his breath in anticipation.

Vicki cringed. He was a lot more intelligent than people gave him credit for and he had easily backed her into a corner. There was no avoiding this conversation now.

"I wanted to ask how you felt about me. No counter questions in response, no avoiding anything and no jokes to lighten the mood. Are you brave enough to answer?" Vicki asked Fred very seriously as she had finally become courageous enough to ask.

He blinked at how blunt her question was. Instead of feeling nervous he felt relief wash over him. He had harboured strong feelings for her since the beginning of the previous school year and hadn't acted upon them. But now he would finally put everything out there. Even if Vicki didn't feel the same way at least he would know and could finally move on with his life.

But based on recent interactions with her, he had a strong feeling she did return his feelings. He potentially was about to gain more from a single conversation over any other conversation he had ever had.

Before he could confess everything to Vicki a snowball came hurling towards them. As they were so wrapped up in each other they didn't see it coming and it hit both of them, splattering snow all over them.

Fred didn't hesitate in softly stroking the snow from Vicki's hair.

"T-thanks." She stuttered and blushed feeling very vulnerable.

Fred then turned to the direction the snowball came from expecting to see Ron who threw it. He was surprised when he saw a sheepish looking Ginny.

"Look, sorry to break this all up. But Vicki we need to start getting ready for the ball. You said we'd be meeting Stephanie on the fifth floor staircase at four thirty. It's twenty five past now." Ginny declared.

"Ah, damn. I need to go. Can we continue this conversation later? Maybe we can have a dance or something tonight?" Vicki asked as she finally stepped out of Fred's grip.

"I'll make it the dance of your life!" Fred teased her, but smiled widely to himself.

It was finally happening. He was now looking forward to the ball. He barely even felt guilty that it was Victoria Hartwell he was excited for and not his date.

* * *

 **I'm updating at work so I need to quickly post this and jump off but to my reviewers you know i love you and I'll bring back shoutouts next chapter - thanks for the support!**

 **I do want to mention how excited I am to write the next chapter. The Yule Ball was the first thing i planned out when I started writing this story and I'm so glad it's finally here!**


	30. Chapter 30

"You're the luckiest bastard alive. You're going to the ball with the best looking girl in the school. But now the second best looking one is interested as well? I wish I was you." Lee Jordan whined in the dorms as he and the twins were preparing for the ball.

"Oi! Don't talk about Vicki like that. Calling her anything less than the most beautiful girl in the school is disrespectful, alright mate?" Fred snapped towards Lee.

"Gee, you've really got it bad for this girl, huh?" George chuckled towards Fred.

"Probably a good thing. It means Angelina will be available again after tonight. Speaking of which what's the deal between you two? Does she think this is a romantic date or did you agree to go as friends?" Lee asked Fred curiously.

Fred froze up at Lee's question. He had been so busy pining over Vicki and being angry that he had to turn her down and push her towards Montague, that he forgot to really address this with Angelina. They had barely even conversed since she accepted his invitation. He thought it was clear he meant it in a friends way by nonchalantly yelling an invitation over the busy Gryffindor common room. He forgot girls were more emotional and perhaps he should have cleared that up a lot earlier with Angelina.

"I'll talk to her about it when I meet her downstairs." Fred shrugged.

George and Lee shot each other looks of discomfort but chose not to speak up as they finished putting on their dress robes.

On the other side of the school Stephanie Fawcett, Ginny Weasley and Vicki Hartwell were getting ready together. Vicki had given them the prefect's bathroom password and they had huddled into a shower stall together – which was the same size as a bathroom in a house and thus there was plenty of room to get ready together.

It was an unusual trio to be getting ready together. Steph and Vicki were studying in the library one day the previous week when Ginny sat at their table and struck up conversation. Naturally the conversation turned to the ball and the two older girls spoke about how they were getting ready together. Seeing promise and fun in giving Ginny a "makeover" it was Stephanie who invited Ginny to get ready with them – Ginny very enthusiastically agreed.

The girls had all slipped into their dress robes and were now finishing their hair and make-up.

"So which champions are going with who? I stopped caring during the dress robes crisis of '94." Steph asked, referring to her dramas of obtaining a dress she deemed worthy of attending the event in, which had been a big deal to her over the past week.

"Harry is going with Parvati Patil." Ginny responded with gritted teeth.

"That's right, I forgot the entire school knew you had a huge thing for him. That sucks." Steph responded.

"That's why you have us. After we finish helping you with your hair and makeup he's going to regret not going with you." Vicki winked.

On the inside she felt sorry for the girl as she knew that would not be the case. Vicki knew Harry had asked Cho and was turned down, as Cho was going with Cedric. Cho came into the common room one evening and asked to speak to Vicki alone. Cho told the story of Harry's rejection to Vicki and wanted Vicki's opinion if she should tell Cedric or not – as Vicki was Cedric's best friend Cho knew she would know what to do. Therefore it was very unlikely Ginny would even appear on Harry's radar tonight.

Vicki also empathised with Ginny's predicament. She too had to watch the boy she wanted so badly attend with another girl. It was painful to think about.

"Cedric is going with Cho Chang, everyone knows that. Roger is going with Delacour, everyone knows that too because he won't shut the hell up about it." Steph remarked rolling her eyes.

"Are you okay with that?" Ginny asked Vicki sympathetically.

Vicki stopped to think about it. She had spent the last week being so upset that she wasn't going with Fred that she had completely forgotten about Roger and Fleur.

The thought certainly didn't cut her the same way the thought of Fred and Angelina did. But she knew weird feelings would rise in her seeing Roger and Fleur. She certainly wasn't jealous or pining for Roger. But he would always be her first love and it would be strange to see him with someone else.

"Yeah, I am. He's old news, Fleur can have him. Someone's trash is someone else's treasure right?" Vicki smartly replied, not wanting to voice her true inner thoughts which made the other two girls snigger.

"What about Krum? Who's he going with?" Steph asked curiously.

Ginny and Vicki looked at each other. They knew who he was going with as they were there when he asked his date. But it wasn't public knowledge as the girl he asked begged them not to tell anyone.

"I can't see no harm in telling you now as the ball is about to start and you'll find out soon anyway. He asked out that fourth year Gryffindor girl that's super smart – Hermione Granger." Vicki responded.

Steph put her hands to her mouth in shock but moments later dropped them and nodded in approval.

"Good on him. As a world famous Quiddich player you'd expect him to ask some dolled up fake bitch. As long as this isn't some publicity stunt, good on him." Steph stated.

"Um, are you girls nearly ready? I said I'd be meeting Neville out in the Entrance Hall and it's nearly time for the champion's grand entry." Ginny asked nervously.

"So it is. Yeah we better head down. I'd love to be fashionably late but it'd be disrespectful to Cedric if I missed his big entrance. Let's go." Vicki responded as she finished packing her bag and opened the door to their stall to head out.

* * *

Fred was unable to keep his eyes off the staircase that led into the Entrance Hall as he knew Vicki would be walking down it any second.

Ginny and Steph Fawcett had already appeared and made their way to their respective dates. Neville and Ginny were in the same circle that Fred was currently chatting in, whilst Steph had joined the popular group directly next to his circle. This circle next to his also contained Graham Montague.

"You are going to be so amazed when you see Vicki. She looks like a total knockout. Many hearts are going to be broken tonight due to the fact she's with you, Graham. You're a very lucky boy." Fred had overheard Steph remark to Montague.

Fred only grumbled upon hearing this and turned his attention back onto his sister and her date who were busy talking about dance moves.

"Merlin! Is that really Victoria Hartwell? She's unbelievably sexy. I thought Roger was lucky for snagging the Delacour girl, but damn does Vicki have a nice body in that dress." Phillip Bridge piped up suddenly.

Fred whipped his head around to the staircase to see Vicki glide down the stairs. He wasn't able to find a word in his head that described how stunning he thought she looked.

She was wearing a fiery red sparkly dress that plunged at the neckline. It also showed a bit of skin towards the bottom with a slit at the side that showed off Vicki's right leg that was poking through.

"What an attention seeker. She looks desperate." Alicia Spinnet sniggered within their circle, it was well known in their group that Alicia never thought much of Vicki and her friends.

"Wipe that drool off your chin, Weasley. Pop your eyes back in while you're at it and keep them off her. She's mine." Montague growled towards Fred as he noticed the Gryffindor's attention on his date from the next group over.

The group of Gryffindors snarled at Montague but decided to ignore him to not give him the satisfaction of a negative reaction. Unfortunately for them this made him continue on his tirade.

"Yep. You may have gotten a dog for a date, but I didn't. I guess you can look, but you'll never be able to touch." Montague smirked widely.

It wasn't Fred who would protest loudly – it would be Lee. He took the greatest offence to Angelina being called a nasty name as he was highly attracted to her. Vicki was still a friend and he would later regret dragging her into his retort but at the time it slipped out of his mouth.

"Actually Vicki asked Fred to the ball. He said no because he wanted to go with Angelina. So clearly Vicki Hartwell isn't as wanted as you thought, eh?" Lee spoke up angrily, ignoring the filthy look Fred was shooting him.

"You're lying. There's no way someone of that beauty would consider a poor blood traitor as a suitor. If she rejected invitations from Diggory and Davies there's no way she would have asked a Weasley." Montague snarled with anger.

During his tirade he hadn't noticed that Vicki had appeared behind him – the Gryffindor's certainly weren't going to inform him of this fact.

"Actually, I did ask him. He did turn me down. I don't blame him though, look at Angelina. She's gorgeous. He got the best looking date by far." Vicki spoke up loudly.

The Gryffindors all began to smirk widely at Vicki's revelation. Montague on the other hand was flabbergasted and could only spit out random sounds in an attempt to build a defence.

"Save it. I don't care about whatever you're trying to say. I'm getting food." Vicki stated as she put a hand up to silence Montague before striding off into the Great Hall. Montague only shot one last glare towards the Gryffindors before he went to run after her.

"Okay, that was awesome. She still looks like an attention seeker in that dress but she's just won a few points for being classy and humble over what just happened." Alicia stated in shock.

Most of the group were agreeing with Alicia as they began to make their way in. Fred noticed Angelina was rooted in her spot and he waited with her until the Entrance Hall was deserted. This was when Angelina spoke up.

"Did Hartwell really ask you to the dance – and you turned her down because of me?" Angelina asked Fred.

Fred felt himself grow uncomfortable as his palms began to sweat. In order to distract himself he began to rub his neck awkwardly. It was rare for someone else other than Vicki to make him nervous and he didn't know how to act.

"Er, yeah. I'd already asked you at that point." Fred nervously responded.

He still had yet to have the 'friends' talk with Angelina. He was hoping to prepare himself for the discussion but it had now been sprung onto him and there was no going back.

"Why didn't you just go with her and talk to me about it? You're in love with Vicki, I would have understood." Angelina softly asked.

"Am not!" Fred snapped suddenly in defence.

"Yeah, you are. Not in the obsession or puppy dog infatuation way either. You are actually in love with Hartwell." Angelina boldly stated.

Fred was silent for a few moments as he looked down and began to shuffle his feet. Ange was a good friend to him but he normally wasn't this raw with her. The only people who ever saw this side of him was George and Vicki.

"I-I think she's nice. I do like her." Fred responded quietly.

"You LOVE her." Angelina corrected him.

"What makes you say that?" Fred asked her curiously.

"It's probably a bit of a cliché to say this but I've seen the way you look at her. You completely and utterly adore her. I heard you the other night in the common room talking to George. It was about 9 o' clock on a Wednesday night and you mentioned to George you were thinking about Vicki and you were wondering what she was doing at that very moment. Boys in like don't do that. Boys in love do. She's clearly always on your mind." Angelina explained with a smug smile on her face.

"Are you mad about it? Y'know, that I er- well, that I love Vicki but I'm going to the ball with you?" Fred asked, a small smile on his face as he admitted out loud for the very first time how he really felt about Vicki.

"I think it's incredibly sweet and loyal you'd still go with me. Look there's no hard feelings. I accepted your invitation as a friend because I thought you'd be a fun date. It's just a shame that Vicki didn't accept Cedric's date for the same reason. Would have stopped his budding relationship with Chang and he would have remained single." Angelina sighed with a small smile as the two began to make their way into the Great Hall.

Fred couldn't contain his smile as a big thought crossed his mind. Around him it seemed all that existed were unrequited feelings as he calculated the complicated relationships in his head. Lee liked Angelina. Angelina liked Cedric, even though it was probably not a very serious crush. Rumours were that a third year girl had a big crush on Lee after his commentary the previous year. Harry got rejected by Cho, as did Ron with Fleur. Montague seemed to really like Vicki. Vicki…seemed like to Fred. Fred was in love with Vicki.

Everyone's love life was complicated, but now his seemed so easy. He had spent so long overcomplicating his feelings for her it was a strange but warm feeling to wash over him that it was actually stupidly simple. He was very grateful for his chat to Angelina, she was a true friend.

There was now only one small hurdle in front of him now. Montague.

"Aw look at Cedric and Cho! They look so happy." Steph remarked happily from her seat once all the students had taken their seats. Some of the popular sixth year students had been seated together – making Steph and Vicki happy as they got to sit next to each other. Kyle Stebbins and Graham Montague however were less than pleased their dates were ignoring them to gossip to each other.

"Good on him," Vicki beamed towards her friends but then burst into a fit of giggles when she saw who Harry was seated to "Potter certainly doesn't look too happy being forced to sit next to Percy bloody Weasley. I wouldn't either, poor kid."

"Look at Davies, that schmuck. He can't take his eyes off that Delacour girl and looks like a fool banging his hand on the table like an idiot." Montague chuckled as he thought that saying negative things would help him win over Vicki.

She cast her eyes to the champion's table and watched as her ex-boyfriend stared at his date in amazement. As predicted she wasn't jealous but the situation made her feel uneasy. Vicki had never made Roger go gaga like that before and it bothered her. She felt inadequate.

"Whatever. Fleur is stunning, she's part Veela so biologically she has a charm that no other girl here would possess. Can't blame Rodge for not being able to dodge." Vicki snapped but held a small grin as she did so.

"What I was going to say," Graham said as he cleared his throat awkwardly "No matter how much of an idiot he looks right now, his biggest moron action is still letting you go. You're the prettiest girl in the room, certainly better than snobby Delacour."

Vicki sent Graham a weak smile as she began to feel a little sorry for him. She knew that he had deep feelings for her – feelings she did not share. She had to have a talk with him later that she didn't see him as anything but a dear old friend. She was about to break his heart and he was blissfully unaware.

She also knew it wasn't Graham's fault that she wasn't attending the ball with the one she wanted to and she shouldn't take it out on him. Her eyes flickered onto Fred's table on the other side of the room. Fred had been eyeballing her table the whole time he had been sitting down so their eyes met briefly. They both smiled and looked away feeling embarrassed they had been caught out.

"L-let's have a dance after we finish eating, okay?" Vicki stuttered as she decided to cut Graham some slack.

Dinner to Vicki felt like a very average affair. The food was good and it was nice to be dressed up seated on a smaller table with friends from other houses. But she was excited for the events the night would bring later on.

"Dumbledore is asking us to stand!" Angelina pointed out to her table of Gryffindors. They all could see Dumbledore had stood at the champion's table and was indicating for the rest of the students to do the same.

They all stood up and Dumbledore sent the tables and chairs away. With another flick of his wand he raised a platform for the Weird Sisters to perform on. As they started a slow song, the champions made their way onto the dancefloor.

"There goes Harry with Parvati. Poor kid, he has no idea what's in store for him." Katie Bell sympathetically spoke up.

The twins and Lee only shot a grin amongst themselves. Fred very badly wanted to yell something or let out a large cat call but he didn't have the heart to do it to Harry. Harry already seemed uncomfortable enough. He was also sidetracked by the sight of Montague with an arm casually slung over Vicki's shoulders and Vicki giggling furiously at something Montague had told her.

"Come on, let's go dance." Fred mumbled as he took Angelina's hand and dragged her to the dancefloor.

Fred spent quite a lot of time on the dancefloor with Angelina. For the first time in a very long time he purposely kept his eyes away from Vicki and kept her out of his mind. The main reason was due to the fact he didn't want to see her with Montague. But he also wanted to give Angelina his full attention. Even though they had both admitted it was only platonic between the two, he wanted to give her a nice night.

"That's the end of the fast song tracklist of the evening everyone. From here on in expect the sweet slow music to get you dancing real romantically with your chosen honey." The singer of the Weird Sisters announced as the upbeat music behind him changed suddenly into slow and soft music.

"That's also our portion of the evening completed with. No offense but I only signed up for the fun and funky side of the ball. Now they're playing the sappy stuff I'd rather just spend time with the girls." Angelina weakly smiled as she took a few steps away from Fred.

"None taken," Fred grinned as he also took a few steps away from Angelina "I'm err- go and find…"

"Hartwell is over by the entrance of the Great Hall, she must have just walked back in. Go and get her, tiger." Angelina cheered Fred with a large smile as she gave him a playful punch on the arm.

"Thank you Ange. I'm still glad you were my date for tonight, at least for the cheery part of the night." Fred responded after turning his head quickly to see that Vicki was awkwardly standing around the entrance to the Great Hall.

"Yeah, yeah. Thank me later. Go!" Angelina shooed Fred as she gave him one last shove in Vicki's direction before she disappeared through the crowd to find her friends.

Fred smiled at Vicki as he made his way through the dancing couples to reach her. As he walked towards her he took in her beauty and couldn't believe she was waiting for a chump like him. He rarely had sappy thoughts run through his mind but in that moment all he could think about was how much of an angel she looked standing there.

Her body looked great in her attention grabbing dress but it was her face that he was fixated on. Her long hair had been styled into waves that hung down past her shoulders and her eyes were wide eyed and innocent as she looked his way.

Fred always felt a little bad that his infatuation with her began before he really knew her that well. Once he got to know her he had fallen in love with her as a person. But his initial obsession was based on her looks. But as he watched her as he got nearer to her he could understand why he grew feelings for her purely because of the way she looked.

"Hey." Vicki softly spoke as he finally reached her.

"Hi. Ready for that dance we agreed upon earlier?" Fred asked as he cocked up an eyebrow and offered a hand towards Vicki.

"Sure." Vicki smiled widely as she put his hand in hers and let him lead the way onto a good spot on the dancefloor.

"How's your night been?" Fred asked Vicki.

"Yeah…it's been a bit dramatic really. I just had the 'let's be friends' talk with Graham." Vicki responded with a wince.

"And?" Fred asked curiously, very eager to hear what had gone down.

"Well…" Vicki began.

* * *

 **I was going to have one long part for the Ball, but I decided to cut it in half and end it here instead. Basically it's a nice little break as next part we'll really contrast Fred with Montague - and there's so much drama coming in the next chapter I couldn't contain it to one part only.**

 **In response to the reviews:**

 **ForeverTeamEdward13: As always - thanks! x You might hate me for leaving it here but at least the ball goes for longer now hehe.**

 **Raven Woods 2003: Thank you! So sorry to cut it in half but as I said above there's more ball this way at least.**

 **Paulies1994: I now can't stop listening to that song, haha. That's the theme song for these past few chapters I swear.**


	31. Chapter 31

"Well…he wasn't happy when I said that I really liked someone else. Oh well." Vicki responded with a small smile.

Fred was so ecstatic at Vicki's words that he didn't realise she was trying to cover up and downplay her recent interaction with Montague.

 _Earlier that evening…_

"Hey, the champion's dance is almost over and they've opened up the dancefloor to everyone else. Do you want to dance?" Graham asked Vicki keenly.

"Maybe soon? I don't want to be one of the first couples on the dancefloor." Vicki replied with honesty.

The words slipped out of Vicki's mouth as it didn't occur to her that her choice of words would accidentally give Graham false hope. Unfortunately for her – he was going to take it and run with it.

"You think we're a couple, hey? I really like the sound of that. Why don't we make that happen for real?" Graham asked her as he slung an arm around her shoulder to earn some contact with her.

"You know what? Dancing right now sounds fun." Vicki nervously giggled as she bounded onto the dancefloor with Graham hot on her heels.

From there the two began to dance for a while. Graham kept trying his luck with Vicki. Even with the upbeat pop music and the fast dancing around them this didn't stop him from trying to be romantic with her. He would constantly do things like wrap his arm around her waist to bring her closer to him, stroke her face and call her beautiful and brush her hair behind her ears.

Every advance that Graham tried with her, Vicki would try and use obvious body language to show she was uncomfortable. He either didn't take the hint or didn't care as he would continue to show the same intimate affection towards her.

"O-okay. Yeah. Let's go for a walk." Vicki proposed as she unwrapped his arms around her neck and made a beeline for the exit to the Entrance Hall. She had been dreading the talk with Graham but after recent events she knew it was time to let him down.

As she left the castle and made her way into the temporary fairy light and rose garden that had been created outside, he still continued to paw at her. They were standing next to a rose bush as she sighed and gained the inner courage to do more than just show she was uncomfortable through body language.

"Hey, Graham, look-" Vicki began but he cut her off by slowly shushing her and putting a finger to her lips.

"No talking. Let's just be silent for a while and lap up the moment. Then we can both confess our feelings and go from there." Graham stated.

Vicki considered for a brief moment to just roll with it. When they got to the 'confess the feelings' stage she planned on confessing that she held nothing but friendly feelings towards him. She then decided against this and knew it was better to speak up now. She needed to cut to the chase as she felt it was cruel to give him any more false hope. She was also a little annoyed he had shushed her – no one ever gets to cut her off mid sentence to tell her what to do.

"Actually, this can't wait. I'm sorry if I've given you the wrong impression tonight, but I thought we were coming tonight in a friends sense. I probably shouldn't have accepted your ball invitation as you've already confessed feelings for me before – but I thought it was pretty obvious I don't feel the same way." Vicki sighed. She knew she was being fairly blunt but there was no other way for her to get her message across. There was no way to sugar-coat it or to stop him from hurting. It was the only way she could be kind.

Graham was silent as Vicki's words sank in. She could swear she saw anger flash across his face for a split second but moments later an almost creepy smile replaced it.

"That's okay. I've waited so long for you. I can wait a little longer until you're ready." Graham responded.

Once again Vicki considered to just go along with his statement. She had done her good deed by attempting to let him down – if he chose to wait around that was his issue. But she knew that wasn't the right thing to do. She had to let him off the hook completely and let him know she would most likely never hold any romantic feelings towards him. It was the right thing to do.

Maybe there was some Gryffindor in her after all.

"I-I think you should move on. I've kind of caught really strong feelings for someone and well, who knows where that will take me." Vicki stuttered out as she barely contained a large smile at the thought of Fred.

This is what set Graham off and stopped his faux pleasantries. In seconds his face had twisted in rage as he began to attack the rose bush next to Vicki violently. She squealed in surprise and fear as she jumped away to let him continue his assault onto the bush, pulling out petals and bloodying his hands on the thorns.

"I don't get it. What does this mystery boy have over me? Why don't you like me?" Graham asked her.

Vicki began to feel increasingly uncomfortable, and not due to the sheer awkwardness of the situation. She felt Graham's anger was a little irrational and his outbursts were making her begin to fear for her safety. She began to eye the path that led back into the Entrance Hall and tried to look casual as she took a few steps back to the castle.

"I'm not sure. I'm a teenage girl with little experience with boys, I still don't know what I'm looking for. But I really want to take a chance with this other guy, I'm quite fond of him." Vicki responded, once again taking a few steps back towards the castle and back to safety.

Unfortunately for her, her actions weren't quite as subtle as she hoped. Graham could see Vicki was trying to inch away from him and he quickly shot out his arm and grabbed her shoulder roughly. Vicki let out a loud yelp in surprise at his rough contact.

"I still don't understand. I've been so nice to you, and for years. I wanted you before anyone else did, even before that schmuck Davies. I bought you an expensive Christmas gift you're currently wearing around your pretty little neck. I even took your side over my own grandmother's. For what? For you to tell me you prefer some loser over me?" Graham spat out angrily.

His words took effect on her for a moment as guilt settled in. Only for a split second as she felt anger surge through her moments later. She didn't like that he thought he had some claim on her purely because he was nice to her and decided to purchase an expensive gift she didn't ask for.

"Hey, Vicki, you alright? What's going on here?" Vicki saw her ex-boyfriend call out as he approached her and Graham with Fleur to his side. Graham's grip on her dropped suddenly and Vicki took no hesitation in quickly scurrying to Roger's side.

"We're good. Just clearing the air about a few things. Thanks though," Vicki weakly smiled before she turned to a very annoyed looking Fleur "Sorry to interrupt whatever you were both about to do. I have someone to go find, so I'll get out of your hair."

Vicki let the adrenaline run through her as she briskly walked back into the Entrance Hall. She didn't even mind that her ex boyfriend and his beautiful date had ventured outside to be alone and get up to no good. She was still disturbed at her interaction with Graham and was trying to not think about what would have happened if Roger didn't stumble across the two and break it up.

She was so busy lost in her own thoughts she didn't realise her female best friend had appeared in front of her with her date – until Steph spoke up.

"Are there any teachers out there? I overheard Roger brag to Phillip that it's nice and secluded and easy to hide out there, so it's a good spot to do certain er, things with your ball partner, if you get my drift?" Steph asked Vicki with a wink, indicating to Kyle Stebbins next to her.

"Er yeah, it was pretty secluded." Vicki responded, excusing herself to enter the Great Hall.

She took a few steps in and awkwardly waited at the entrance to the hall. She desperately needed to see Fred. She looked through the sea of bodies in the hall and it took her a while but eventually her eyes landed on him.

However he was still with Angelina. Vicki's heart dropped at the sight of them. She knew there was a good chance he was still with Angelina – he was her date after all. But even after preparing herself mentally for a while of this exact scenario it still hurt her deeply to see them together. Vicki felt tears prick her eyes and she began to slowly back out of the hall until she noticed both Fred and Angelina look her way.

Vicki watched as Angelina shoved Fred in the direction towards the entrance and without a single glance backwards she easily departed from Fred. All negative thoughts and feelings drained from Vicki as she watched Fred make his way towards her. She watched him wide eyed as a realisation came over her. All that mattered right now was the two of them. Not the dramas with Montague, or the other students in their way. Her only concern right now was Fred Weasley.

"Hey." Vicki softly spoke as he finally reached her.

"Hi. Ready for that dance we agreed upon earlier?" Fred asked as he cocked up an eyebrow and offered a hand towards Vicki.

"Sure." Vicki smiled widely as she put his hand in hers and let him lead the way onto a good spot on the dancefloor.

"How's your night been?" Fred asked Vicki.

"Yeah…it's been a bit dramatic really. I just had the 'let's be friends' talk with Graham." Vicki responded with a wince.

"And?" Fred asked curiously, very eager to hear what had gone down.

"Well…he wasn't happy when I said that I really liked someone else. Oh well." Vicki responded with a small smile.

Fred was so ecstatic at Vicki's words that he didn't realise she was trying to cover up and downplay her recent interaction with Montague.

"I've had a very similar discussion with Angelina. Fortunately for me we were both on the same page. In fact she's very much hoping that things work out with the girl I like." Fred playfully stated.

Fred was very pleased he was able to act like his usual jovial self. Inside he was a big bundle of nerves. He was very lightly tethering on finally admitting his true feelings to Vicki. But he still felt a hint of confidence at the same time. After all, it appeared she was doing the same.

"What a coincidence. We both seem to like someone, yet came to the ball with other people," Vicki flirtatiously stated and then gained courage to take it further "See, there's this guy I really like. I even asked him to be my date to the ball. But he'd already asked someone else at that point."

Vicki's words breathed even more bravery into Fred and he sprang into action. He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist affectionately as the two began to slow dance. This caused Vicki to tightly grip his neck with her own arms.

He took a few moments to reply as he wanted to savour the moment. His greatest wish was about to come true and he wanted to lap it all up.

"What a coincidence indeed. I really, really, really like this girl right. I was going to ask her to the ball but I very incorrectly thought she was going with someone else, and then stupidly asked a friend to go with me instead." Fred smugly stated as he took a step towards Vicki in order to be closer to her.

Vicki bit her lip as she looked deep into his eyes. Even with her over anxious mind there was no denying it. Fred liked her. It was officially risk free for her to spill her feelings to him. This would be a lot happier than the confession conversation she had earlier in the evening.

"Can we just drop this little playful act and just outwardly admit that we like each other? Then go from there?" Vicki proposed as she cocked her head as nerves once again began to build up inside of her.

"Depends. Can I kiss you right now?" Fred cockily asked as he took yet another step towards Vicki closing most of the gap between them.

Vicki nervously looked around. There were students and teachers everywhere. It wasn't very private and they were going to get busted very easily for 'inappropriate contact' – the teachers would also come down on her harder than a normal student as she was a prefect.

"There's teachers everywhere. We're going to get into so much trouble." Vicki giggled.

"You need to live a little outside of your little prefect bubble. Of course if you don't want to-" Fred stated but he was cut off by Vicki roughly grabbing the front of his dress robes and mashing her lips onto his.

It caught Fred by surprise so he was rooted to his spot for a few seconds. When the shock wore off he wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders and deepened the kiss.

They both continued to snog wildly until they felt a jolt and they were both torn apart. They looked up and saw a very unhappy looking Snape who had just used a spell to break them up.

"Highly inappropriate behaviour. Open displays of affection are prohibited at the best of times. To engage in this behaviour at an esteemed event with guest schools is quite simply, inexcusable." Snape snarled at the two.

Vicki hung her head as an act to try and convey shame. She wasn't regretting her spontaneous snog with Fred as she was overjoyed that she finally knew he felt the same way about her. But she didn't want Snape to know she didn't care.

"Hartwell, twenty five points will be taken from Ravenclaw for your disobedience. Weasley, thirty points from Gryffindor because quite frankly we all knew you'd somehow try and ruin this event." Snape snarled towards the two.

"Sir, twenty five points? That's a little unfair considering students are sneaking outside to give wristies and do even more inappropriate things! A small snog should warrant a lot less than twenty five points!" Vicki spoke up suddenly. She hadn't lost a single point for Ravenclaw in her entire time at Hogwarts. Losing so many in one hit was a big shock to her.

"If you don't stop arguing with me I'll make it double for both you and your friend here. Now I must go outside and investigate these claims." Snape stated before he turned around and briskly walked out of the Great Hall.

"Miserable git. Just because he's never gotten any action in his life." Fred muttered but broke out into a grin as he remembered that he had just kissed Vicki, and this time it wasn't just as a plan to not get into trouble. It was because she wanted to.

"I bet he doesn't even know what a wristy is or he would have been even angrier. He's going to have a heart attack when he goes out there, considering just kissing upset him that much." Vicki giggled.

They continued to dance for a small while (deciding not to kiss lest they feel Snape's wrath again) until the Weird Sisters took a break and claimed they'd be back on stage soon to finish their set.

"Ah you absolute madman! You did it!" George yelled loudly as he bounded up to the two and pat him on the back.

"He's liked you for a while Vicki but made us swear to secrecy. But now it's out in the open, we can tease him out in the open." Lee smirked widely as he joined George.

"Oh, I see. Maybe I should leave you lads to it? I think I need a quick stop to the lavatory anyway." Vicki announced. Fred asked her to 'hurry back' as she exited the hall to go do her business.

After she was done in the girl's lavatory she was surprised to see Montague in the Entrance Hall sitting on the stairs as she was making her way back.

"Hi Vicki. I was hoping to catch you. I wanted to clear the air with you. Could we have a quick chat?" Graham asked her as he jumped up from his seat to approach her.

"As long as it's quick." Vicki nodded. She was open to resolving things with Graham to let him have closure so he could finally move on. It also would clear her conscience so she could start something meaningful with Fred.

"Here, I have some punch for you." Graham said as he passed the cup to Vicki.

* * *

"Hey, Vicki has been gone a while. I might go and see what she's up to." Fred stated to George and Lee.

"It's already beginning George! He's already blowing us off to spend time with his girl." Lee teased loudly.

"A moment's silence for our fallen comrade, who has succumbed to the charm of a pretty girl." George added on and they both bowed their heads to mock Fred.

He chose not to reply as he eyed around the Great Hall. It was still busy in there but the crowd had thinned – some students had called it a night whilst others had snuck off to do other things. He wasn't able to see Vicki in her knockout red dress so he departed the Great Hall.

He then immediately wished he didn't. He saw Vicki's back pushed against the staircase with Montague's body pressed against hers. Montague looked as if he had his tongue down her throat and his hands were placed on intimate parts of Vicki's body over her dress.

Fred considered backing away and just leaving them to it. But hurt and anger surged through him and he needed to get to the bottom of this for his own sanity.

"What on earth is going on here?" Fred demanded to know loudly, which caused Vicki and Montague to stop kissing.

"I told you earlier Weasley. She's mine." Montague wickedly grinned.

"Vicki?" Fred asked her and tried very much to not croak his voice in his upset state.

"I am completely and utterly the property of Graham Montague. I love him so much." Vicki confirmed with a dazed smile.

"That's my girl." Montague beamed before catching Vicki in a big kiss again.

Fred was confused and upset as he decided to walk away without a response. He didn't see any value in sticking around or confronting Vicki on why she had showed him affection earlier if she was in love with Montague.

He backed off and decided to make his way back into the Great Hall. He needed George and Lee to cheer him up.

On his way back in he saw Fleur and Roger walk back into the castle from outside hand-in-hand and Fleur was giggling madly. Seeing another happy couple made him furious, and as Davies was previously linked to Vicki he decided to take out his anger on Davies.

"Be careful if you're on your way back to Ravenclaw Tower. You'll have to pass Montague and Vicki doing things that shouldn't be done in public." Fred spat loudly at the loved up couple.

This caused Roger to stiffen in his spot as he let go of Fleur immediately, the first time for the entire evening she did not have his full attention. This annoyed her greatly as she stamped her foot on the spot in annoyance but she still didn't manage to get back Roger's attention. He was looking at Fred with his mouth open.

"Montague? No way. She doesn't like him." Roger responded.

"Apparently she does. It was definitely him I saw, after she proclaimed her love for him and claimed she was his property." Fred angrily retorted.

"'Zis Hartwell girl. I don't know 'er 'zat well, but 'zat does not sound like something she would say." Fleur spoke up but still looked very unamused at the situation unfolding.

"Nope, definitely not a Vicki Hartwell comment. Unless...hang on!" Roger exclaimed loudly as he began to race down the Entrance Hall without warning and called behind him for Fleur to wait and that he'd be right back.

Fred took a look at Fleur and smirked as she definitely looked like she would not wait for him. He then took after Roger briskly.

"What's going on?" Fred shot at Roger.

"I ran into Vicki and Montague earlier tonight. Vicki was trying to tell him she wasn't into him. Montague then was getting really forceful, grabbing onto her and not letting go. Also said weird stuff like he deserves her. He was treating her like an object." Roger explained.

"Why is she with him then?" Fred responded. He was confused. It didn't make sense. Luckily he was in the presence of a clever Ravenclaw who was about to explain it to him.

"He has to have somehow slipped her a love potion." Roger explained just as Vicki and Montague had come back into sight.

Fred growled as it finally sank in. Roger was right – it had to have been a love potion. That was the only way all the dots connected. He swallowed in discomfort as he saw Montague's lips trailing kisses down Vicki's neck but the rage that was flowing through him gave him courage to confront him.

"You dirty bastard, you've given her a love potion!" Fred yelled at Montague as he gave him a large shove to pull him off Vicki.

"No I haven't. Maybe you two losers should accept that she's mine now and just leave us two alone to be happy!" Montague loudly retorted.

"Puh-lease. I've moved on. Didn't you see I was with Fleur Delacour tonight? But the jig is up Montague. We know for a fact she's under the influence of a love potion. Stop denying it." Roger said, earning a dirty look and an eye roll from Fred for once again dropping the fact he was with the beautiful quarter-Veela tonight.

"Prove it." Montague hissed.

"Oi Vicki, when did you realise you're in love with old mate over here?" Fred asked suddenly, jerking his head towards Montague.

"Tonight of course. Romance is in the air." Vicki uncharacteristically sighed as she bat her eyelashes towards Montague.

"That doesn't prove anything!" Montague protested.

"As a girl deeply in love, you must love to think and speak about your proclamation of love. Tell us, what happened? What happened directly before you realised you loved him?" Roger asked her.

"Well, I was going to talk to him about something else and he gave me punch-" Vicki began to explain but Fred cut her off quickly.

"Uh huh! Spiked punch. That proves it!" Fred grinned wickedly.

"Does not. I gave her punch. So what? Everyone drank punch tonight." Montague seethed.

"True. But as she's not herself after consuming punch given by you, one could have their suspicions. I for one do. So I propose we take her directly to Professor Snape for his expert opinion. He'll be able to test if she's under the influence." Roger proposed.

Montague blinked in surprise and stayed silent. Fred and Roger watched him carefully to stay prepared for his next move. However without warning he dropped Vicki and sprinted in the opposite direction, presumably to go and hide in the Slytherin dungeons.

"Coward." Roger spat as he immediately bent down to help Vicki off the floor.

"Where's Graham gone? Oh I already miss him terribly." Vicki pouted.

"Hey Weasley, can I hand her over to you? You can take care of her from here, right? I need to go back to Fleur." Roger asked Fred.

Fred only nodded as he placed an arm around Vicki to steady her. She still had full control of her body functions but as her mind was hazy it wasn't working properly.

"Symbolic isn't it? Me handing her over to you." Roger joked.

Fred only glared in response as he didn't appreciate the comment. The whole situation had put him in a bad mood. He was terribly angry with Montague and vowed to get revenge. But he also didn't want to hear about Davies' past with Vicki.

"Vicki. Fred here is taking you to Madam Pomfrey. You want to know why? Madam Pomfrey can help you and Graham. You just need to see her." Roger said to Vicki, mumbling to Fred you had to treat victims of Love Potions as 'idiots' to get them to do things.

Roger finally departed from the two leaving Fred and Vicki alone.

Fred sighed as he began to direct Vicki to the Hospital Wing. It was the most amazing night of his life but it had turned sour very quickly. He wasn't even mad for his own night being ruined. He was angry that Montague had ruined the night and he was mad that he knew that Vicki was going to be psychologically affected at what could have happened once she snapped out of it.

* * *

 **I bet you all hate me a little less now ;)**

 **Unfortunately updates may be slowed for the next week or two - which is why I raced this one out so you wouldn't be left in the dark. I have the hardest exam of my course in a week and I'm also getting married in a month and a half so there's all these boring preparations that need to be done.**


	32. Chapter 32

The next morning Graham Montague held no shame regarding his actions of the previous night. He was however, still extremely bitter that his plan was foiled by Weasley and Davies. He came so close to securing Vicki for himself – one night with him and he truly believed she would not need a love potion from him ever again as this would cause natural feelings to grow. He was completely wrong, but he didn't know this.

Most Hogwarts students got up late to go to breakfast, Montague included. However in the sea of tired students he noticed that Vicki was absent from the Ravenclaw table. He also noticed that one of the Weasley twins was not sitting with the bunch of Gryffindors that he detested. Montague knew straight away that the missing Weasley twin would have been the one that had accosted him last night.

After scoffing down some bacon for protein to build his muscles (without Quiddich he found it was hard to stay beefy) he decided to go scour the corridors to hopefully find Vicki. He was aiming to get back into her good graces by lying, by stating he hadn't spiked the punch and it was romance and true feelings that must have overcome her. He was hoping he could manipulate her and turn her against Weasley and Davies and say they had implanted lies into her head.

He didn't make it far. Not too long after he stepped out from the Great Hall a lone figure stalked him down.

"Oi! Montague! I have a bone to pick with you!" The newcomer angrily spoke up as he stopped in front of Montague threateningly.

"Yeah? About what exactly?" Montague smirked as he crossed his arms casually.

"You know very well what. You stay away from her, alright? I don't want to see you anywhere near Vicki Hartwell." Montague's new rival demanded.

"See the problem is that I'm quite fond of her. So I'm going to have refuse. If it makes you feel better I promise to treat her nicely once I make her mine." Montague wickedly stated.

"Get it through your head. She never will be yours. So back off, or I'll create trouble." Vicki's defender snarled.

"Are those fighting words, Diggory? Didn't think you had it in you boy. Good on you." Montague nastily teased.

"You don't intimidate me at all, Montague. Last warning. I have a better social standing than you, and I have an inkling the teachers would favour me over you." Cedric growled.

Cedric struggled to be intimidating as he had never done anything like this before. It was absurd for a Hufflepuff like him to be threatening a well-built Slytherin, and usually Cedric stayed away from these dramas, preferring a peaceful and happy life.

The previous night just before bed, Roger Davies had pulled Cedric aside knowing how close he and Vicki had become. Roger had informed Cedric about what Montague had done to Vicki so that Cedric could offer support. After a sleepless night worrying about his best friend, Cedric saw Montague at breakfast and immediately saw red. He decided to take the opportunity. After all, he had faced a dragon the previous month. A creepy Slytherin was nothing in comparison.

Montague's grin was wiped off his face upon Cedric's words as the truth sank in. Moments later it re-appeared as Montague decided to fake confidence.

"Let's see what you've got in you then." Montague mocked as he strode back off to the dungeons.

Cedric just glared at the back of Montague as he turned around and scurried back to the Great Hall. He was hoping to find Cho and spend some time with her. She was smart, she would know the best way to handle this situation.

* * *

As soon as Fred woke up on Boxing Day he hurriedly put on his robes and was out the door to make his way up to the Hospital Wing.

He took Vicki there the previous night as Roger suggested Madam Pomfrey may carry the antidote to a love potion.

Unfortunately when Fred bought up the lovesick girl he was informed by the school matron that due to a high number of love potions being used in the lead up to the ball ('It doesn't make sense! A boy or girl may have said yes under the spell but as soon as it wore off I'm sure they would have taken back their ball acceptances!' Madam Pomfrey ranted for a good ten minutes) she was all out of antidote. She also informed Fred that she herself got her reserves from Snape, who would be too busy to brew up more tonight.

Madam Pomfrey instead decided the best course of action was to let Vicki stay in the Hospital Wing rather than send her back to Ravenclaw Tower, as it was too risky to leave Vicki alone in case she went searching for Montague in her loved-up state. Fred had insisted on staying by her side all night but Madam Pomfrey snapped at him that Vicki was in very safe hands with her and that she didn't appreciate his lack of confidence. Madam Pomfrey gave Vicki a sleeping draught to put her into a deep slumber for the love potion to wear off and shooed Fred away.

"How is she?" Fred asked Madam Pomfrey as he skidded into the Hospital Wing.

"She's awake. You can go see her if you want. She's not very talkative." Madam Pomfrey informed him as she was wrapping a smaller student head to toe in a bandage.

Fred ignored questioning the mystery student's illness as he was more interested in Vicki's wellbeing.

"What do you mean she's not very talkative?" Fred asked Madam Pomfrey.

"I've spent quite a bit of time with the girl, especially when she did volunteering work in here last year. She's always responsive if not a little sarcastic at times. This morning I could only get a few words out of her. Very understandable due to what's happened, but still concerning none-the-less." Madam Pomfrey responded, before quickly excusing herself to rush over to two second-years who had wandered in.

Fred was careful as he approached the bed that Vicki was in the previous night. The curtains around the bed were closed so he quietly ducked in through the curtains.

His heart broke at the sight of her. Vicki was a fairly strong girl who always seemed so calm and collected. But lying in the hospital bed she looked so defeated. Her hair was dishevelled rather than styled in a neat-way that she usually wore it. She also laid flat on her side, one hand under her pillow as she stared into space without focusing on anything.

"Hey Vicki. How's it going?" Fred asked quietly as he approached her bedside.

Vicki shot up and sat up at the sound of his voice as she stared at him for a few moments. She was surprised to see him.

Fred now understood what Madam Pomfrey was saying. Vicki certainly wasn't her normal self and she didn't seem to be in the mood for chit-chat.

However moments later Vicki jumped up onto her knees as she threw her arms around Fred in a panic.

"Oh Fred! I'm so sorry. You must hate me so much. I hate me so much. I swear I had no idea I was under the love spell." Vicki gushed as she held onto him tightly and buried her head in his neck.

"Shhh, it's okay. I know. You're not the one that should be apologising." Fred cooed as he wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.

Fred never thought he'd be in a position that he was holding and comforting a girl he had fallen in love with. It seemed so out of character for him. But he took on his protector role like it was second nature to him. He seemed to know exactly what to do to silence Vicki and get her breathing back to normal.

"Y-you're not mad?" Vicki stuttered as she stared at him wide eyed once she let him go.

"Not at you. You didn't do anything wrong, I don't blame you one bit for what happened last night. Montague on the other hand. Well, that kid better sleep with one eye open from now on. He's now the new official target for George and I to test our products on." Fred smirked in an attempt to remain light hearted.

Vicki appreciated this as she lightly smiled his way. She was absolutely mad and disgusted at Montague and knew what he had done to her was unforgiveable. But she didn't feel strong enough yet to even think about him, even to be angry with him. She hated the memories of the previous night. She couldn't bear to remember his body pressed against hers, his lips attacking hers hungrily.

Therefore she did appreciate that Fred was dancing around the subject rather than diving straight in.

Vicki saw a figure approach her bed over Fred's shoulder. She cocked her head as she wasn't expecting to see this person in the Hospital Wing.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt. I've just bought your school robes so you don't need to make the walk back to Ravenclaw Tower still wearing last night's dress robes." Cedric stated awkwardly as he nervously approached Vicki's hospital bed to place her robes at the end and then immediately sprang back.

"Thanks Cedric. Appreciate it." Vicki said with a forced smile.

Normally Fred would be overjoyed that Vicki seemed to be favouring him over Cedric, and would love the fact she preferred to speak to him over Cedric. However this certainly wasn't the time to be celebrating this.

"Don't worry, it's not public knowledge what happened. Davies only told Stephanie Fawcett as well as myself, as we're your biggest support network. Steph grabbed these from your dorm and gave them to me to give to you." Cedric stated awkwardly after clearing his throat.

"Great. Well uh, I guess I better give Madam Pomfrey this bed back. I'm going to get changed and go. I'll catch up with you later." Vicki said to Cedric.

Cedric sent her a weak smile and headed off, not before sending a head nod to Fred who returned it. It was the most civil the two had ever been. Cedric had no problem with Fred but he knew the two Weasley twins weren't big fans of his and were always very icy towards him. Therefore he usually didn't go out of his way to interact with them.

Once Cedric had headed off Fred turned around to also leave, assuming Vicki wanted to be left alone. Before he could leave she shot out her arm and held onto his wrist to force him to stay by her side.

"I er, do really want to get out of this dress. But wait for me outside the curtain, okay?" Vicki smiled to Fred, sending her first genuine smile since the previous night's events.

"Certainly. See you on the other side." Fred lightly joked, as he stepped outside of the curtain to let Vicki get changed.

Ten minutes later Fred and Vicki were both making their way back to the fifth floor so Fred could walk Vicki back to Ravenclaw Tower. Vicki had her stunning red dress tucked under her arm as she was back to wearing her plain old Ravenclaw robes. Madam Pomfrey had given Vicki the all-clear to leave, as Vicki wasn't ill and it was very clear the love potion had worn off overnight.

"So um…I wanted to talk about last night. About what happened before all of that Montague stuff of course." Vicki nervously mentioned which caused Fred to stop in his spot immediately.

Sensing a serious conversation approaching Fred led Vicki away out of the corridor by her shoulders and into a little alcove to the side. This meant that although they weren't completely hidden away in privacy it meant that they would be out of the way of students using the corridor.

"What did you want to say?" Fred cockily smiled, once again finding himself unable to lead the conversation and instead was once again trying to off Vicki's cues.

"The moments between us. They were nice." Vicki responded in a goofy manner.

"I concur." Fred responded smartly.

"Are you sure you're not mad at me? If not for my actions, but that I was stupid enough to accept spiked punch off Montague?" Vicki asked fearfully as she bit her lip anxiously.

Fred's eyes went wide as a mixture of emotions ran through him. Firstly he felt sympathy for the girl in front of him – that she felt guilty and responsible for what the creep had done for her. His sadness quickly turned to anger and resent. He hated Montague for what he had done to Vicki and for making her feel this way. The blind hatred and anger made him want to hit something, but he knew hitting the stone castle would be painful and futile.

"Of course not! Don't doubt it for a second, the only person a hundred per cent wrong is that slimy Slytherin. I still hold nothing but the highest adoration for you." Fred stated as he put a hand on each of Vicki's shoulders and looked deep into her eyes to show sincerity.

"You adore me?" Vicki quickly asked him.

"I adore you quite a bit, yes. Can I ask how you feel about me?" Fred shot back. As of last night he realised he was in love with her, but he knew it wasn't the appropriate time to share it. He also didn't want to scare her off and knew it was too early to tell her.

"I like you. A lot. I also really want things to progress between us two, if that's what you want-" Vicki began but was quickly cut off by Fred.

"-I do. I really do." Fred quickly spoke up.

"Me too. I'd hate to think that Slytherin loser ruined things between us. But rather than dive straight in, can we take it really slow to begin with? Even just for a short while?" Vicki finished.

Fred beamed. It was really happening – there was now something almost official between Vicki and himself. He thought of sappy responses he wanted to say but held his tongue. He wanted to keep things light hearted to keep Vicki cheerful – and besides, mushy responses were not his thing.

"Fine by me. It means we can stretch out the fluffy honeymoon phase for longer." Fred responded.

"So you see us as potentially long term?" Vicki asked as the corners of her mouth twitched into a smile.

"Well, yeah. Don't you?" Fred quickly asked as small panic began to rise through him. He was fearful Vicki potentially was not on the same page as him.

"Well. When you begin a relationship with someone, it can only ever lead to two things. Either you eventually break up, or you eventually get married. Or for the folks who don't believe in marriage, you end up being defactos or whatever." Vicki explained.

"I've never really thought about it before. But I believe in marriage." Fred stated to Vicki after thinking about it for a second.

"Me too. So let's see where our story eventually takes us." Vicki beamed.

* * *

 **This chapter is a tad shorter than I usually make them - apologies. I just wanted to leave it where it was - it was in a good place. I feel like this story is finally beginning - yay!**

 **In response to the reviews...**

 **ForeverTeamEdward13 - perhaps you now don't dislike me at all? haha :)**

 **Paulies1994- I didn't want to say anything before when it was mentioned about Fred and George throwing Montague into the cabinet in OotP but I can now reveal that yes - it will be related :) It's a while off but I can't wait to write about it hehe.**

 **Raven Woods 2003 - Thanks for the support! Montague can certainly be disposed of!**


	33. Chapter 33

Even though New Year's Eve was only a stone throws away from Christmas, a lot of the students began winding down their festive spirit after Christmas was done and dusted. The Yule Ball was a major event that majority of the students were looking forward to. With the second task being quite a while away and no other events to be excited about in the interim, a lot of students were left feeling flat. Especially as most students would normally be home at this time of year – it seemed a bit pathetic to some that New Year's Eve would be spent in their house common rooms for a quiet night in.

The Gryffindors on the other hand had a small thing to look forward to. New Year's Eve was associated with fireworks both in the magic and the muggle community. Therefore many had turned their sights onto the Weasley twins who promised there would be 'something for everyone' and 'not a soul will be left disappointed'

"This is going to be such a lame night. Why on earth did I stay over Christmas for that stupid ball? I could be hitting up about ten cool parties tonight if I went home over the Christmas holidays. That ball definitely wasn't worth it." Steph loudly whinged to Vicki at lunch.

"Add another ten muggle parties I'm sure I'd have connections to, we'd have twenty to choose from between us." Vicki grinned.

Even though the two girls were clearly exaggerating about the number of parties they were invited to, their loud and obnoxious complaints were heard by a Ravenclaw girl in the year above who sent a big scowl towards both Vicki and Steph from across the table.

"So you can't attend twenty parties and instead have to spend only one new years of your life trapped in a tower when you'd rather be at a more fashionable place. My heart bleeds for you poor souls." The girl mocked them.

Both Steph and Vicki shot dirty looks towards the girl. Only Steph was miffed enough to speak up, she was always the bitchier one of the duo.

"Don't hate us 'cause you ain't us." Steph sassily responded with a wink.

The girl only scoffed again and huffed as she jumped up from the lunch table and stalked away angrily.

Vicki and Steph looked at each other before letting out loud snickers. They were both cut off when Vicki's owl, Fez, dropped a newspaper in front of her.

It had been a very emotional week for Vicki. Coming to terms with what Montague had done to her was very hard. Not only did it sicken her about what could have happened – it was hard for Vicki because Montague was one of her oldest school friends. After years of friendship she never thought he would break her trust. It was also hard to lose a friendship she had built up over such a long period of time.

After speaking with Steph all of Boxing Day trapped up in their dormitory, Steph had convinced Vicki to report what Montague had done to her to someone. They approached Paul Greene the Ravenclaw Head Boy who was also disgusted at what had happened. All three of them saw their head of house – Professor Flitwick the next day. He immediately called a meeting with the deputy headmistress, Professor McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall was almost uncharacteristically nice to Vicki. Not wanting to get her student's hopes up, McGonagall put a sympathetic hand on Vicki's shoulder and informed her that Love Potions were only against school rules. They were completely legal to use in the magic community and thus Montague was likely to not be punished very severely. McGonagall made sure to tell Vicki she did not agree with the legal status of love potions and it certainly 'was not right' – but it would be up to Snape to decide Montague's punishment and it would most likely be something minor.

Vicki of course was very disappointed by this. However instead of dwelling on it she decided to move forward with her life. It was so close to a new year and she was so close to starting a proper relationship with Fred. Who cared about Montague right now?

"What's that?" Steph asked curiously as Vicki unrolled the newspaper and grinned.

"It's a muggle newspaper from two days ago sent by my mother. This must be good." Vicki stated but made no attempt to unroll the newspaper.

Steph muttered that she didn't understand what was great about an old muggle newspaper but Vicki ignored her as she cast her eyes upon the Gryffindor table. Her eyes met Fred's and she realised he must have been looking her way. Rather than being embarrassed she was caught looking at him, she sent Fred a sly smile as she beckoned him over with her finger. He quickly said bye to George and Lee as he made his way over to the Ravenclaw table.

"You have that boy at your beckoned call? I like it." Steph grinned as she gave Vicki a pat on her back and departed, to give Fred space to sit down at the table.

"Are you free to spend some time with me this afternoon? My mother sent me a good source of entertainment." Vicki smiled as she pointed to the newspaper in her hand.

"Sure. Want to go find a quiet spot now?" Fred responded with no hesitation.

The two got up from the Ravenclaw table and exited the Great Hall. Vicki asked if Fred needed to tell George and Lee that he was going to be unavailable for the afternoon but Fred said it was 'fine' as the two went to go find a bench in a quiet corridor. The fourth floor had a quiet bench near the staircase and the two sat themselves down as Vicki finally unrolled the newspaper.

"This is a muggle newspaper." Fred stated as he looked on. The main giveaway was that the photos in the picture were not moving and some were even in colour. But the title of the newspaper was also different – the word 'prophet' was missing and 'mail' was there instead.

"It is. Mum sent it to me. It's actually fairly amusing that my mother is basically a muggle." Vicki stated.

"Why?" Fred asked curiously, wanting to learn every single detail of his almost-girlfriend's life.

"She grew up in an exclusive magic community. Her parents weren't anti-muggle or anything but saw no reason to mix with muggles. Dad on the other hand was orphaned at a young age, so his squib uncle took him in and raised him in London basically as a muggle until he was old enough for Hogwarts. These days Dad has almost nothing to do with muggles, he even disconnected his phone. Mum on the other hand barely even uses magic around the house." Vicki explained.

"Sorry to hear about your paternal grandparents," Fred sympathetically said, but then continued on to lighten the mood "It's a pretty amusing shift though."

"Anyway because mum is basically a muggle, she normally reads The Daily Mail over the Daily Prophet. Muggle newspapers are a much more amusing read just for the personals alone. Mum always sends me her discarded paper if there's some really funny ones." Vicki stated.

She then opened the newspaper and flicked towards the back. She let out an 'aha!' as she stumbled across the personals. The two sat in silence as they both read the advertisements put in the paper by lonely people.

After reading the first few Vicki felt a little bad as they were genuine people looking for a real relationship. She was worried that Fred would think she was being quite cruel by finding amusement of other's people misfortune which was not the case.

Lucky for her the next few were the usual, creepy personals that made her laugh. The usual older men seeking younger women, some asking for specifically Russian or Asian ladies. Vicki was a fast reader and giggled as she saw how inappropriate the ads were and waited patiently for Fred to finish reading a few. Finally he spoke up after omitting non-stop laughter for five minutes.

"Merlin! How is this allowed to be published? You'd never see this rubbish in the Daily Prophet!" Fred spoke up, sounding very amused.

"This isn't the worst of it. In the commercial section there will be lots of advertisements of thinly veiled massage parlours that offer sexual services for cash. In the housing section I bet there's men that offer free board for 'special arrangements'." Vicki laughed as she turned the page to show Fred.

There enough, her predictions were correct. Almost word-for-word, exactly what Vicki described were on the pages. Fred let out a whistle at Vicki's accuracy but once again chuckled at the words on the page.

"Last, but not least. The random message page. That's always funny too." Vicki grinned, pointing it out to Fred. The two went silent as they read the messages people had printed in the paper.

 _Pig. I saw you at the shops the other day. You grabbed my behind and I told you if you did that again I'd kill you. You did. I need your address now._

 _Robert I am so sorry I hurt you. Please call me. Please. Or at least leave the porch light on. You know what that means._

 _Seeking someone who can do a good Donald Duck impersonation to leave a romantic answering machine message for my girlfriend._

 _Surgeon wanted – to do surgery outside of a hospital. Do not ask questions._

 _JESUS SAVED ME. That is all._

"Where have muggle newspapers been my whole life?" Fred asked Vicki in amazement as he read over her shoulder.

"Whenever mum sends me more, I'll show you." Vicki smiled to Fred.

When she turned to face him she realised just how close his face was to hers. The same thought hit Fred at the exact same time and without hesitation he rested his chin onto her shoulder.

"Hi." Fred grinned to Vicki affectionately.

"Well hello there." Vicki flirted back.

"I wish I could spend New Years Eve with you." Fred pouted, removing his chin from her shoulder and jumping back onto the bench to sit next to her. He mostly kept a distance from her this time but entwined his hand into hers lightly.

"I know! Me too! I had this exact same conversation with Steph earlier. I think we're going to hold a 'boyfriend in other houses' pity party. I might invite Cho to sit with us too." Vicki stated, with a smile at Fred's affections towards her.

"Too bad you won't be able to join them. You don't have a boyfriend." Fred teased playfully.

"Well, that's only because I haven't been asked." Vicki shot back immediately.

Fred cocked his head as he stared at Vicki and tried to read her face. There was nothing more he wanted than to be able to call Vicki his girlfriend. The only thing that had stopped him from trying to progress things between them was due to the fact that a week ago she had stated she wanted things to 'move slowly'. Fred felt he was willing to wait until the end of time for her, so he was being patient for the first time in his life.

But he was now picking up on cues from Vicki that perhaps she was now willing to take the next step forward.

"The only reason I haven't asked is because I'm respecting your wishes of moving things slow." Fred honestly responded.

Vicki smiled softly towards Fred. She knew her next response would be important and she had to quickly make up her mind. Fred was on the cusp of asking her to be his girlfriend. She had to quickly decide if she was ready to take the plunge or if she needed to wait a tad bit longer.

Before she could even make up her mind, her next sentence slipped out.

"Well we could still move things slow even if we did get together for real…" Vicki slipped out.

Fred grinned. He had been in disbelief over the past week that Vicki had liked him. But this was a conversation he couldn't believe he was having. He also couldn't believe what he was about to do. He had been too nervous to make any moves on Vicki and had allowed her to lead their relations up until now. But this time it would be different. He was about to grab onto what he wanted the most.

"Well in that case. Victoria Hartwell. Would you do the honours of becoming my girlfriend?" Fred asked Vicki nobly, trying to keep it light-hearted by asking in an uncharacteristic formal voice.

"For realsies? Or are you joking?" Vicki asked with a large smile on her face.

"Definitely for realsies. I'm as serious about this as Moody is about his constant vigilance." Fred joked loudly which made Vicki smile.

"I guess that means you're pretty serious then." Vicki stated.

"Come on! Don't leave a guy hanging. Are you going to give me an answer?" Fred whined, rubbing his thumb gently on Vicki's palm to remind her that they were still holding hands.

Vicki smiled a little at Fred's discomfort. She didn't mean to dawdle in her answer to make him feel uncomfortable. She was so overjoyed she had simply forgotten to give the answer.

"I now pronounce the new boyfriend and girlfriend, Victoria Hartwell and Frederick Weasley." Vicki responded.

Fred was so ecstatic by Vicki's words that he took no hesitation in leaning down to give Vicki a kiss to celebrate their new relationship status. He meant it to be a simple kiss but Vicki grabbed onto his shoulders to turn the kiss into a very big snog.

"It feels so good to be able to kiss you. It also feels good I can now do this whenever I want." Fred quietly said to Vicki with a big smile on his face as he leaned his forehead against hers happily.

"We should snog as much as we can this afternoon. It'll almost make up for the fact I won't be able to kiss my boyfriend at midnight." Vicki responded.

"Call me your boyfriend again. It's perhaps the greatest thing I've ever heard." Fred requested Vicki with a large smirk.

"Come here, boyfriend." Vicki stated as she grabbed him by the scuff of his shirt and kissed him hungrily.

* * *

As soon as Vicki hit the Ravenclaw common room that night she strode her way over to a couch where she saw Steph Fawcett and Cho Chang sitting glumly together. Cho was a recent addition to the popular circle, but as Cedric's girlfriend she was welcomed warmly. Both Steph and Vicki adored their fellow house member and it was now common to see her sitting with the two girls.

Vicki had skipped dinner as she spent the afternoon with Fred. The two of them hit the kitchens and had dinner in there instead. They were both wanting to nick as much food as possible for the respective parties they were holding in the two house common rooms.

Vicki let Fred take most of it as she only wanted to share junk food with a few people, compared to Fred who wanted to feed a whole house.

But as Vicki had missed dinner she still had yet to share the good news with her friends.

"Cheer up girls. One night away from your boyfriends won't kill you." Vicki cheerfully stated as she sat down between Steph and Cho on the three-seater couch.

"Easy for you to say. You don't have a boyfriend," Steph muttered before her eyes opened in shock as she realised how rude she sounded "I'm sorry, I meant it in-"

"It's all good. You're wrong anyway. I do happen to have a boyfriend." Vicki proudly stated as she cut off her friend.

This caused Cho and Steph to sit up in their seats as they began firing question after question to Vicki before she could even answer them. When did it happen, how did it happen. And most importantly – who was it. They had an inkling, but they were hoping Montague hadn't squeezed his way back into Vicki's life.

"As if you even have to ask who it is. Of course it's Fred Weasley." Vicki scoffed at the two.

The three girls all became a giggling mess as they discussed their love lives for the next hour. Vicki went into detail on the events leading up to her and Fred finally getting together, and then gave every small detail about how he asked her. Every now and again Steph and Cho would interrupt to compare something to their own boyfriends but Vicki didn't mind. She knew it was the honeymoon phase for her and Fred and she was willing to milk it for as long as she could.

After Vicki had finished her story the girls made their way into the sixth year girl's dormitory. Vicki and Steph's dorm mates were out in the common room so the girls were given complete privacy to have their 'boyfriends in other houses' party.

The girls spent the rest of the night gossiping, eating junk food, playing music on Steph's wizard wireless radio, and most importantly every now and again they would sigh as they all wondered what their boyfriends were up to.

The Gryffindor common room was a bit different that evening. Fred was in a cheery mood as soon as he got back but George and Lee didn't bother to ask him why. They correctly assumed it was because he had spent the afternoon with Vicki. But they didn't realise exactly what had happened.

He was waiting for the perfect moment to drop the news in a casual manner. He thought it would be an amusing thing to state nonchalantly, much funnier than sharing the news properly.

He finally got his chance at five to midnight. He was finalising the last of the Dr Filibuster's firework display with Lee and George when the perfect opportunity presented itself.

"It'd be really nice to be able to spend New Year's Eve with a girl you really like. Hell, it'd be nice to even have the girl you really like be your girlfriend." Lee stated as he looked wistfully in Angelina's direction.

"Sorry Lee, can't empathise with you there." Fred teased his friend.

Lee narrowed his eyes at Fred's joke and made a loud cough that sounded a lot like "Vicki"

"You would be correct. Vicki is the name of my girlfriend." Fred stated with a large wink.

"Get out of here. You finally asked her to be your girlfriend?" George asked incredulously.

"Sure did." Fred stated proudly.

It was ten seconds to midnight, so George and Lee did not have enough time to respond properly. Instead they gave him a big pat on the shoulder each before setting off the firework display with their wands at the stroke of midnight.

After the fireworks had been set off and were whizzing around the Gryffindor common room, Fred took a step back and watched with his brother and his best friend.

He knew he had been lying a little when he teased Lee. Although the girl he really liked now was his girlfriend, he did sympathise when Lee had stated it would be nice to spend New Year's Eve with the girl he liked. There wasn't much he wouldn't give away right now to have Vicki by his side spending the evening with him.

Fred wasn't one to believe in News Year's resolutions. But there was one thing for certain. He was going to do absolutely everything in his power to ensure that the next New Year's Eve was spent with Vicki Hartwell. He wanted to have her with him this time next year.

* * *

 **Finally! 33 chapters and they're FINALLY together 'for realsies' but don't worry, this story still has a long way to go yet!**


	34. Chapter 34

It took a few days for the school to catch on that Vicki Hartwell and Fred Weasley were officially a couple. The entire school assumed that when one of the Weasley twins got a girlfriend, that the event would be anything less than subtle. Considering Fred's crush on Vicki was also a bad kept secret as of late, a lot of the sixth years expected nothing but a very public declaration of love from Fred should his feelings ever be returned.

Those close to the two of course were told, but the rest of the school were kept in the dark.

Therefore it took a few days of hand holding and light pecks in public from the two for other students to catch on and suddenly it was hot gossip. Of course many people had seen the two snog at the Yule Ball, but at the time it was quickly forgotten as the two were just one pair in a sea of hundreds of students. The second task was still too far away to drum up keen interest from the students, so two popular students getting together served a perfect distraction from the fact that the Christmas holidays were nearly over.

It was the afternoon before the first day of term. A big group of Vicki and Cedric's friends had gathered in the library to quickly finish off their holiday homework. As Vicki had finished hers days ago when she was still dazed due to Montague's betrayal and worked hard as a distraction, she was only lightly revising a few chapters today.

"Where's that ginger boyfriend of yours, Vicki? How do you tell the difference between him and his twin? Aren't you ever afraid of snogging the wrong twin by accident?" Phillip Bridge teased Vicki as he snapped his Transfiguration book shut, growing bored of study.

Steph shot her head up at Phillip's words as she too shut her book. She had been wondering the same thing herself, but felt it was too rude to ask Vicki directly.

"He's hanging with his Gryffindor mates. You see we're comfortable enough to spend time apart and still spend time with friends. And by the way, I can easily tell the twins apart thank you very much." Vicki snapped at Phillip.

"Why don't you turn onto Ced? Cho's not here either. Where is she?" Steph teased Cedric to take the attention off Vicki, causing Cedric to shoot his head up from his book.

"She's with her friend Marietta. Apparently Marietta gets a bit upset she doesn't get to see Cho as much anymore. So Cho promised to spend the day with her." Cedric responded with a small shrug.

"Nah. Teasing Cedric about Cho isn't funny, they are good together in a sickly sweet way. Let's tease Roger instead. After all, he had the best looking girl in history and he lost her," Phillip grinned and then quickly turned to Vicki "Sorry Hartwell, I'm not referring to you."

Phillip's slightly cruel comment was lost on Vicki as her eyes met with Roger's across the table. She sent him a guilty smile which he returned before they both looked away.

It wasn't public knowledge that Graham Montague had slipped Vicki a love potion at the Yule Ball. Vicki was surprised that Montague had been radio silent since the news had broken that she was with Fred, she thought he'd try something to make it difficult for them both out of revenge.

However as all those that knew the truth had kept the secret, no one knew why Fleur Delacour had grown cold towards Roger Davies just as quickly as things had began to heat up between the two. It was because he had taken a few moments out of his night to ensure his ex-girlfriend's safety the night of the Yule Ball. Fleur didn't appreciate the loss of attention, even just for a moment.

Vicki felt a little guilty that it was because of her that Roger blew his chances with the girl he liked. Especially as things had worked out really well for her with the boy she liked. Things were still a little strained between Roger and Vicki. They had never been friends before – before they had gotten together they had very rarely interacted. But there was a mutual respect between the two and they still cared for each other in a platonic way. Therefore Vicki did wish the best for Roger moving forward.

"Who cares. I got what I wanted from her in the rose bushes." Roger smirked.

This caused most of the group to shoot Roger dirty looks.

"I certainly would not expect such a crass comment to come from a Ravenclaw." Titus, one of the social circle members from Hufflepuff spoke up as he stood up in protest.

"Yeah Rodge, that's pretty gross. I'd expect Phillip to say something like that. Not you." Steph said as she rolled her eyes and followed Titus' lead.

Most of the occupants of the table ended up leaving at this point. Some of them said it was due to Roger's cheeky comment, but Vicki had a feeling it was mostly because everyone wanted to call it a day in terms of study and enjoy their last evening of freedom before term started the next morning.

"I'll speak to everyone and get them to let it go. I'll say it was an ill-thought out comment that came out the wrong way." Vicki said to Roger as both he and Phillip began to pack up their books.

Roger only sent her a grateful smile as he silently left, with Phillip chasing after him to tell Roger he thought the comment was 'brilliant'.

The only person who hadn't left the table was the person seated next to her. Cedric. He waited until Roger and Phillip were long gone before he spoke up. When he did, he did so quietly.

"I ended up figuring out the clue in the egg. I've already told Potter, as he warned me about the dragons. It's only fair." Cedric informed Vicki with a whisper.

"What? Details!" Vicki responded suddenly, knocking her belongings off her desk in shock before awkwardly grabbing them under Madam Pince's glare.

"You were sort of right. The egg did require something to muffle the screeching. It wasn't a spell, or a pillow. Believe me I tried them all. I then tried putting it under the water in the prefect's bathroom and the sound became clear as day under water." Cedric explained to Vicki.

"So you told Harry before me. Cho I can understand because you guys are shagging, but Harry." Vicki responded in mock hurt, although there was a slight hint of a serious nature in her tone.

"I'm not shagging Cho!" Cedric corrected her quickly, which caused Vicki to let out a large grin. "I also haven't told her about the egg yet either."

"Ha! I got that bit of information out of you. Probably more important than the egg business. So you and Cho haven't gotten frisky yet, eh? I guess it makes it much harder if you're in different houses." Vicki grinned.

Vicki and Cedric had never spoken about such intimate topics before so Vicki knew she was treading dangerous waters. She felt comfortable speaking this way with Steph (who had told her many details about her love life with Stebbins) and her muggle friends. But she was testing to see how Cedric would react.

"Er, well no. We've only spoken about it once. We're um, we're both virgins so we've agreed to take it super slow." Cedric explained as his face heated up.

"Cute! Well um, I guess when you're both ready you have the prefect's bathroom at your disposal. I know for a fact that troll-ish looking Marcus Flint used to take gross non-prefect Slytherin girls in there last year. Pretty annoying as he wasn't a prefect himself, he only got access as the Quiddich captain." Vicki teased Cedric.

Cedric had turned bright red in embarrassment but still held a small grin on his face. It was a tortourous conversation to him and he was feeling very flustered but a small part of him was in fact enjoying the light teasing from his best friend. Right now he was just the goofy awkward Hufflepuff boy who was exploring adult life for the first time. He wasn't the amazing Hogwarts champion everyone had put on a pedestal.

This is why he enjoyed the company of Vicki his best friend, and Cho his girlfriend. Those two meant the world to him in two different ways. Vicki was almost family to him (considering their two families were quite close as well) and Cho was the love of his life. He felt the most normal when he was with either of them. Which is why he was concerned that he didn't know which one would be taken to be used in the second task. How could he explain to either that not only were they possibly in danger – but one of them would be determined to be more important to him.

"I could ask the same for you and Weasley. Should I start avoiding the prefect's bathroom in case you use it to your advantage?" Cedric smirked towards Vicki, feeling more confident as he shifted the topic back onto her.

"I can't get away with it. Paul Greene would kill me. He already banned me from the boy's dormitories when I was with Roger." Vicki responded with confidence.

She, unlike Cedric had experience due to her long relationship with Roger. Therefore she wasn't as shy about the topic as Cedric was.

"So you admit you have thought about the uh... deed with him?" Cedric grinned brightly. It was only now that Vicki's confidence began to decline.

"Well, no. It's only been a week. We haven't even spoken about that stuff yet." Vicki stated awkwardly.

"He's a teenage boy. He's probably thought about it." Cedric teased, but his eyes widened as he realised how inappropriate he may have sounded.

Vicki on the other hand thought nothing of it. This was the sort of conversation she'd have with Stephanie, or her muggle friend Sarah. It was a tiny bit different this time around as Cedric was a boy, but as her closest friend it was a normal thing for her to speak with him about this.

"Heh. Judging by that response, I can tell you've definitely thought about it with Cho." Vicki grinned.

"Well we have been together for quite a few weeks now, you can't blame a guy…" Cedric stammered out going bright red.

Upon hearing Cedric's words, a thought crossed Vicki's mind. She wasn't sure if she should say anything as she would be turning the topic back onto herself. However when Cedric didn't continue out of embarrassment she knew it was safe to voice her concerns.

"Do you think it will matter to Fred that I have er, quite a bit of experience with Roger?" Vicki asked Cedric nervously.

"Well, wouldn't he have previous experience himself?" Cedric responded quickly.

"What do you mean by that?" Vicki shot back.

"Fred and his twin are popular. They're also both confident and real go-getters. Surely they've both had lots of interest from girls," Cedric answered but then his voice grew soft "I guess a question you need to ask yourself is that would it bother you if he has experience?"

Vicki was silent for a few moments as she seriously considered what Cedric was saying. She wasn't bothered by what Cedric was proposing but rather more surprised. Fred had certainly never said anything about other girls to Vicki. Even his previous crush on Angelina she had heard from Roger a long time ago. But she didn't discuss her past with Roger with Fred. It wasn't a topic they ever discussed. Therefore Fred could have an extensive history she had no idea about.

"I'd be a massive hypocrite if it bothered me that he had experience with other girls. It also means we'd be on equal footing, which would make things a lot easier. But at the same time, it's not really a conversation I want to have with him. I don't want to know the details. Ignorance is bliss." Vicki responded.

"Good answer. Now, let's shift the topic away from sex and onto happier things." Cedric grinned.

"What's happier than sex? That's something a total virgin would say." Vicki snorted.

"That's something a girl who is not shifting the topic would say." Cedric retaliated.

* * *

That night in the Gryffindor sixth year boy's dormitory, Fred was about to have a very similar discussion with the boys in his year. It wasn't even his twin or close friend who would bring up the topic. It would be one their dormmates, Kenneth Towler.

Fred wasn't a big fan of Kenneth. So much so that he put itching powder in dear old Ken's pyjama pants the previous year. At that time Kenneth had been talking dirty about the girls in their year. Vicki's name was eventually bought up and Kenneth had said she was at the top of his 'to do list'. That was it as far as Fred was concerned. Kenneth went to sleep and his spare pair of pyjamas had itching powder applied. This memory made Fred laugh now due to the fact that she wasn't even on speaking terms with him back then, but since the start of the previous school year he had wanted to know her. And now she was his girlfriend.

Unfortunately for him, it seemed like Kenneth still thought inappropriate thoughts about his girlfriend.

"So….you and Hartwell, eh?" Kenneth grinned towards Fred as he made his way into the dorm that night.

"Yes. What about myself and Vicki?" Fred asked in an unamused fashion.

"Surely you've by now had a piece of that, right? If I could get Vicki Hartwell to go out with me, I would be doing the dirty with her in no time at all." Kenneth arrogantly stated with a large grin on his face.

Lee and George who were also present shot each other uneasy glances. They knew how strongly Fred felt about his girlfriend and how protective he could get over her. This had the potential to not go down very well.

"Unlike you Towler, I'm not a caveman and that's not all I think about." Fred growled, not being in the mood to fight him on his perverted thoughts.

Unfortunately for Fred, Ken wasn't going to drop the subject.

"What's wrong with you? I wouldn't be surprised if every boy in our year level has had inappropriate thoughts about your girlfriend. Surely it's crossed your mind quite a few times that she's now yours, to do whatever you please." Kenneth confidently stated.

Very few sixth years were game enough to cross the Weasley twins. Kenneth Towler was one of them, especially when the topic shifted to pretty girls in their year level.

"What's it to you? He doesn't have to tell you anything. At the end of the day Vicki is his, not yours. Who's to say they haven't already done anything." George remarked loudly, filling in as Fred had gone silent in rage.

Instead of annoying Kenneth, George's statement had the opposite effect. It caused him to grin widely.

"Oh, I see. Fred has already gone there with Miss Hartwell but doesn't want to share the details. That's no fair." Kenneth pouted.

"You know what? Just shut up. You're pathetic, Towler. Panting like a dog, patiently waiting for seconds. The seconds in this instance being intimate details about my girlfriend. Well you're not getting any, so put your tongue back in your mouth and rack off." Fred snarled at Ken angrily before jumping into his bed and roughly closing the curtains on his bed. He was done for the night.

"I bet Hartwell has already told him that Davies was better. That's why he's being so touchy about it. Chasers would have much better stamina than Beaters." Kenneth said loudly, in order to tease Fred further.

"That's kind of creepy that you'd think about that, let alone say it." Lee growled in defence of his friend.

"I'm onto you, Towler. It appears you have a mad crush on Davies, and you're trying to get the details to win him over through Vicki. Your secret is safe with us. Or is it?" George snorted.

"Oh you lot are no fun." Kenneth whined as he too retired to his bed and pulled his curtains shut.

George and Lee quickly shifted the topic and made small talk as they prepared themselves for bed. Fred however had stopped paying attention to the shenanigans in his dorm as he stared up at the ceiling, his thoughts running wild.

He had absolutely no issue whatsoever that Vicki had a past with Davies. He was over the moon that she was now his girlfriend, that's all that mattered to him. However at the same time it wasn't something he liked to think about and be reminded of. He could remember the way that Vicki used to cling onto Davies, how she'd always talk about him and stare in his direction. It was in the past and that's where those thoughts belonged.

But comments like the ones that Kenneth had said made his previous insecurities come straight back. It made him remember what it was like to watch from the sidelines as Vicki fell in love with Davies. What if Davies had qualities that he did not possess?

What if Fred's lack of experience would be an issue? He had never been with a girl before – not just in a relationship, but intimately either. Would this cause problems with Vicki in their relationship?

Just as these questions began racing through his mind, they disappeared almost as suddenly as a moment of clarity hit him. He understood that it was scary putting his heart on the line in case he ended up getting hurt. But none of this mattered. Vicki wanted him, and only him.

It was hard for him to previously watch as Vicki fell in love with Davies. But this was no longer the case. He now got to experience being in love with the girl himself, and no longer was he watching her from the sidelines. He would live in the experience as she began to fall in love with him.

Therefore he quickly forgot Kenneth Towler's teasing as he began to drift off to sleep. Maybe those insecurities would reappear, and he knew if they did he would most likely just need to speak with Vicki about these small issues directly. But for now he was looking forward to sleep, so he'd be able to wake and see his girlfriend during lessons the next day.

* * *

 **Sorry if this chapter is a bit 'crude' - I've purposely kept profanities and direct sex scenes out of this story, but I've kept in implied sexual activities as hey, that's what teenagers do.**

 **In response to the reviews...**

 **Paulies 1994 - haha thanks for those reviews, they made me laugh - and want to celebrate with you! Yay!**

 **ForeverTeamEdward13 - thank you! I'm glad too :)**

 **grueneHimbeere - as always thanks so much for your review. It's really good to read your analyses of what has gone on, and what is most likely to come. And you're correct - my wedding was on Saturday that's just gone, so I got to read your review beforehand. Thanks for the well wishes :) It was really good. Unfortunately one close family member got too drunk and made a scene but hey, it was actually a bit funny as they're the ones who made a fool of themselves in front of everyone ha ha.**

 **Katherine Sparrow - thanks for the review, your wish is my command ;)**


	35. Chapter 35

"Please?" Vicki Hartwell asked her boyfriend at breakfast, bravely sitting next to him at the Gryffindor table, clutching onto his arm hopefully.

"I've already told you, hell will freeze over before I step foot in that joint." Fred responded briskly.

"Pretty please, with sprinkles on top?" Vicki asked again in a half-joking manner, batting her eyelashes for added effect.

"Come on, do it for your girlfriend." George sniggered next to Fred, as he gave his twin brother a big pat on the shoulder.

"If anyone had ever previously asked me what I envisaged for hell, the afternoon Vicki is proposing would be my answer. I'm not going into that specific joint and spending time with those two specific people." Fred responded coolly.

Vicki didn't know how to react to Fred's statement. It was a little rude of him to say those words to her. She knew he didn't mean to be cruel, and guessed it was relationship inexperience that caused his inability to have a filter on his mouth in relation to conversing with his girlfriend. But she still wasn't impressed.

"Okay Fred. If that's how you feel. I'll talk to you later." Vicki smartly said as she swung her legs around the table and departed to return to the Ravenclaw table.

Both Lee and George cringed at the sight of Vicki's back as she stalked off. Fred on the other hand appeared confused.

"…what just happened?" Fred asked his twin and best friend. Both Lee and George looked at each other nervously, unsure of who would speak up to explain this to him. George was the one who took the plunge.

"Mate, I definitely agree with you. I certainly would not want to be spending my Hogsmeade trip in that awful romantic teashop on a double date with Diggory and his girlfriend. But there are better ways to communicate this to your girlfriend than shooting down her idea, saying it's your version of hell." George said sympathetically.

Fred's confused look fell as he started to feel a bit bad. He didn't think twice when the words came out of his mouth, but hearing his twin repeat his statement made him realise just how bad it sounded.

"This whole situation has confused me. I don't understand why Vicki even wants to waste her afternoon in that dreadful tea shop. She's always told me how much she hates it. Why does she suddenly want to spend our first date in there?" Fred sighed as he ran a hand through his hair in confusion.

"Well, have you asked her why?" Lee quickly asked.

Fred was silent for a few moments as he knew exactly how his answer would go down.

"Before you can both berate me when I answer that question as 'no', I'm going to go talk to my girlfriend about this. Watch me fix this." Fred proudly smirked as he immediately jumped off from his seat and rushed over to the Ravenclaw table.

Lee and George only shook their heads and laughed to themselves as they watched Fred approach his girlfriend. They were glad that Fred was sorting this out.

"Why are we the voice of reason and giving Fred relationship advice? You especially. You've never even kissed a girl, let alone had a girlfriend." Lee laughed towards George.

"Because that's how thick that one is." George responded as he nodded his head towards his twin making his way over to the Ravenclaw table. They both watched on intently.

Vicki was surprised as she looked up and saw Fred approach her house table. After all it had only been seconds earlier he had shot down her proposal for the afternoon. All of her disagreements in her previous relationship always resulted in non-talking periods and stubbornness from both sides, until she eventually caved in first. She wasn't used to her boyfriend being proactive in fixing any rising arguments.

"I'm sorry I was so harsh." Fred quickly blurted out as he stood in front of Vicki.

Vicki blinked in confusion. As this had caught her off guard she didn't know how to act. Usually a clash resulted in anger and bitterness. How was she meant to deal with Fred actually being reasonable?

"It's okay. Its how you feel. Can't help that." Vicki responded, not showing her usual post-disagreement bitterness, but at the same time making sure she didn't sound cheery.

"Why do you want to spend our afternoon in this tea shop anyway? You hate that place." Fred asked her.

Vicki then began to feel awkward. She realised she had not previously communicated her plans to Fred adequately. Instead of explaining to Fred why she wanted to do the double date with Cedric and Cho, she had immediately lashed out and became argumentative when Fred shot down the idea.

Vicki calmed down as she prepared to explain herself.

"I know you really don't like Cedric. But he came up with the double date idea and I'd really like to do it, you know he's a good friend of mine. Plus it would be funny if you were there in that horrid and sappy teashop with me. We can laugh at all the schmucks trying to have a romantic date. We'd only be going there to be ironic." Vicki explained to Fred.

He was silent for a few moments as he absorbed what Vicki was trying to say.

"So you only want to go to have a laugh, essentially?" Fred slowly asked.

"Correct-o. We only ever have to go to the teashop one time in our lives so you can see how bad it is, I was suggesting today. Get it over and done with." Vicki grinned.

"Merlin, that was actually really damn easy to work out. Okay Miss Hartwell, I accept your proposal. On the grounds that we at least have time to duck into Zonko's before we're due back at school." Fred smiled lightly.

Vicki sighed a breath of relief. Not only had their disagreement been sorted before it escalated into a full-scale fight, she had actually gotten her own way for once. She made a mental note to make sure she improved her communication with Fred in the future.

"I can promise you that you'll have considerable time to browse in Zonko's. In fact, we'll probably still have enough time for a Butterbeer in The Three Broomsticks before we come back to school." Vicki smugly predicted.

* * *

"So…" Cho nervously bought up as silence fell upon the table.

Vicki, Cedric, Cho and Fred had struggled to maintain conversation the entire time they had been in the tea shop, which had only been a lousy twenty minutes. It was clear no one was having fun, but no one was open to admitting this and calling it a day. It wasn't from a lack of trying – but perhaps that's why the conversation was falling flat. It was too forced and awkward.

The elephant in the room was that the uncomfortable experience was mostly due to Fred's presence. It was perhaps Hogwarts's worst kept secret that Fred and his twin held a lot of animosity towards Cedric. Fred was being civil for his girlfriend's sake, but everyone at the table could feel the tension.

"Here you go lovelies," Madam Puddifoot said as she dropped the coffees off at the table before turning stern and putting her hands on her hips "Now Victoria, with a new boyfriend, can I now trust you to not send patrons out of my shop crying?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Vicki grinned back to the older woman.

"I'd watch out for the new boyfriend actually, he's the one most likely to make people cry." Cedric added on.

Madam Puddifoot only sent a look of concern before being called over to another table.

Fred had been trying very hard to be good company for his girlfriend's sake. He had been polite to Cedric and asked him generic topics. School work of course was the most mundane topic they had discussed, but they also all glossed over conversations such as Quiddich, sleep schedules, and they even got so desperate they began to talk about the weather.

But every conversation ended up falling flat and the four of them were drinking their warm beverages in silence. Fred had resorted to glaring at Cedric quietly in relation to the last remark Cedric made about his personality. Fred was scared if he spoke up, it would be an insult towards Cedric.

Vicki could read Fred well and knew exactly why he was being quiet. She could have been angry that Fred was holding animosity towards her best friend over a simple but ill-thought out comment Cedric didn't mean. But instead she was proud that he was holding it in for her sake. She'd definitely be thanking him later.

Vicki was looking around the teashop in hopes of finding a conversational topic to shift the animosity in the air between Fred and Cedric. She had been pointing out funny things to Fred secretly, such as bratty girls demanding things from their boyfriends and bad kissers.

Her eyes then landed on something and she let out a wicked grin.

"Oi!" Vicki hissed to Fred, as Cedric and Cho began their own conversation on the side.

"What?" Fred asked Vicki. He was glad the two couples had broken apart to have their own conversations. He'd much rather be speaking with Vicki alone.

"See that Slytherin girl with that Ravenclaw boy? The really young girl. She was here last time I was here, but she was with another boy. I may have had a confrontation with her and the boy she was with at the time. I told her that school relationships don't last and love doesn't conquer all. She's with a new one. Should I say something to rub it in that I was right?" Vicki grinned to Fred.

Fred let out a very forced smile at Vicki's words. He didn't know what was worse to hear. A memory that clearly happened from her previous relationship with Roger, or her bleak view on love. He knew he was in love with Vicki but felt it was too premature to reveal this to her. What if she didn't believe in love at all?

"Nah, better not. I was so jaded in my relationship with Roger I was just projecting untrue feelings onto that poor unfortunate couple. Although it'd be funny if that's what caused them to break up." Vicki weakly smiled.

This turned Fred's previous forced smile into a real one and he gave out a loud snort at her words. That was better. Her only references to her previous relationships were negative ones, and her bleak comments about relationships and love were not how she truly felt.

Fred's snort gained the attention of the younger couple. The Ravenclaw boy didn't seem too interested, but the Slytherin girl kept on staring.

Vicki nearly spoke up and made a comment to the young couple's fixation on her and Fred – the only one she could think of was the old muggle 'Take a picture, it'll last longer' but she decided against it, finding it a bit too pathetic to say. She didn't really feel like getting into an argument with a younger student on her first date with Fred.

Unfortunately for her, that's exactly what the Slytherin girl wanted to do.

"I must say. The last one you were here with was much better looking. Better than this Orangutan." The girl cruelly called out.

"I'm not sure who you are or why you're keeping tabs on me or my love life, it's kind of creepy actually." Vicki snarled towards the girl. It was a half-truth, she didn't know who the girl was. But Vicki was attempting to downplay their previous interaction and pretend she didn't even remember it.

"Who I am doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're now with a gross blood traitor." The girl spat out.

Vicki was prepared for a roaring fight but her eyes landed on Cho and Cedric who were watching on with interest. She didn't want to start a big scene in their company. It wasn't the time nor place to do so. Vicki took comfort in the dirty look this girl's Ravenclaw boyfriend was shooting towards his date – whether it was due to the blood traitor comment, or the fact this girl was making enemies of his house's prefect. But either way Vicki knew this girl had ruined her own date and that's all that mattered.

Vicki then darted her eyes towards Fred. He was being very quiet which was certainly out of character for him. When he saw he had Vicki's attention he sent a wink her way.

Vicki chose not to respond as she turned her attention back onto her own table.

"So uh, what's everyone else's plans for the rest of the weekend?" Cedric asked after clearing his throat awkwardly.

Before anybody could answer a loud shriek came from the next table. They all darted their eyes to see the Ravenclaw boy staring at his date in shock. But instead of an unpleasant girl sitting across from him, it was now a bright yellow canary.

Vicki looked to her boyfriend and saw him with a huge grin across his face. It was obvious to her what had happened. He had slipped a Canary Cream into something that foul girl had consumed – most likely melted it into her tea.

"Well. That's quite a bird you've taken out today." Fred laughed at the poor Ravenclaw boy.

Vicki smiled at her boyfriend's pun but then regretted it moments later as Madam Puddifoot came charging over. The plump woman held a lot of strength and was able to easily pick up both Vicki and Fred by the scruff of their uniforms and begin to lead them out of the cosy teashop, the only challenge was manoeuvring them through the limited space available.

"I should have banned you years ago, Victoria Hartwell. You've always made a mockery of my establishment and I've lost a lot of business from your teasings and proddings of my patrons. You are now permanently banned, effective immediately." Madam Puddifoot firmly stated as she lightly prodded Vicki's chest.

Vicki didn't know how to respond. She was surprised she'd never had a stern talking to from Madam Puddifoot before today, but she hadn't anticipated on getting banned so suddenly. The quick turn of events had left her stunned.

"You too, boy. I don't know who you are, but I don't ever want to see your face in my shop again. I could tell you were a troublemaker from the second you stepped in." Madam Puddifoot loudly stated to Fred before lightly pushing them out of her shop and closing the doors forcefully.

Fred blinked and silently looked towards Vicki. He expected his girlfriend to blow up at him. They were supposed to be on a nice date with some of her close friends. Instead he had pulled a prank and had gotten her permanently banned from a popular establishment for students to spend time in during Hogsmeade weekends. Surely she would be cross with him.

Instead she was smirking at him.

"Good riddance. Perfect excuse to avoid that joint now. If anyone ever wants to meet me in there for anything 'oh sorry, I'm banned. We'll have to go somewhere else'. This is probably my greatest achievement to date. Reckon if I wrote to my parents and told them that, they'd be as proud as they were when I became a prefect?" Vicki giggled as the two began to slowly walk down the lane to distance themselves from the teashop.

"See, I'd be more proud of my kid getting banned from that place than becoming a boring prefect," Fred teased, but immediately changed his train of thought before Vicki could respond "Hey, the owner doesn't know I'm a twin. If George ever gets a girlfriend we need to convince him to go in there. The poor sod will get kicked out and have no idea why."

"And deprive him of the story of what just happened? That doesn't seem fair. Come on, let's go. George and Lee are probably still at Zonko's." Vicki stated as she offered her hand to lead Fred away. Fred smiled at his romantic interaction with his girlfriend as he followed her.

* * *

George and Lee were still heartily chuckling as they walked into the Three Broomsticks with Vicki and Fred. The couple had easily caught up to Lee and George in Zonko's and had both told them the story as they browsed the joke products.

After laughing too loudly and earning many disapproving stares around the shop (and of course a joke being made that Fred and Vicki now risked getting banned from Zonko's too) it was decided they would retire to the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer and a proper chat.

The pub was packed as it always was during Hogsmeade visits. The three boys went off to find a suitable table whilst Vicki said she'd fight the crowds at the bar to get drinks. It had been so packed she didn't even realise one of the known patrons until he came up behind her.

"Fancy seeing you here." Vicki heard the grin in his voice. It was a voice that sounded familiar but she couldn't recognise it without seeing his voice. She turned around and saw Ludovic Bagman smirking towards her.

Vicki's eyes darted around the pub in hopes she would catch Fred's eye, as she had no idea how to interact with Bagman. She was out of luck, it was far too busy. She couldn't even make him out in any of the crowds.

She then decided to try and make do with this interaction with Bagman. It hadn't been planned so she didn't have the upper hand for once. But she was still keen to help Fred and George get their money back from him, probably more so than she had ever been. She no longer knew what the plan was with her involvement. But she could briefly use this encounter as a way to try and charm the much older man to try and follow the path of the original plan.

"Oh, hello stranger." Vicki weakly smiled. She wanted to charm the older man for her boyfriend's sake, but with no plan in place she had no idea what she was doing and therefore she had little confidence.

She didn't even know what the end goal for today was. She charms him a little, then what?

* * *

 **For those who celebrate Easter - Happy Easter! Or more importantly it's the 1st April which means it's the twin's birthday. It would have been cool to release a special birthday part but as it's January 1995 in the story right now that wasn't going to happen. But there is one coming... one day. Hopefully soon as I think I need to move this story along a little faster.**

 **It's been nearly 4 months since I updated, sorry. I've taken a lot of the feedback on board and I took some time off in order to plan this story and plan some improvements. It's going to take a while for it to come into effect I couldn't miraculously fix everything in one part. There's something coming up soon that will make you all feel really sorry for Vicki and give you a reason to empathise with her, and it's of course going to stir up some drama. But yeah, expect more regular updates again :)**


	36. Chapter 36

"What happened the other night at the Yule Ball, I thought you were going to save me a dance?" Vicki fake pouted towards Bagman, but continued to dart her eyes around the packed pub in hopes of catching Fred's eye.

"You looked too good sweetheart. I don't think I'd have been able to keep my hands to myself with you in that dress. Although let me say, you look ravishing even in your plain old school robes. Say, how long until you're seventeen again?" Bagman growled lowly in her ear.

"Seventy-four days. Could make a joke about the fact I'm counting down by saying 'but who's counting' but yes, I am totally counting down." Vicki grinned.

"I certainly expect you to come and seek me when you're of legal age. I too could make many jokes about why, but the fun is to come later." Bagman quickly responded as he sent one of his well-known winks her way.

Vicki let out a large gulp as she felt nerves inside of her begin to rise. As Bagman had started to get bolder in each interaction with her, she had started to feel more uncomfortable each time. But now his suggestions were not merely suggestions. His advances were starting to get out of control and Vicki felt it was becoming too much. But she wanted her boyfriend and his twin to get their money back and she was committed to the cause.

Which is why she let out an involuntary gasp as a lightbulb moment went off in her clever Ravenclaw mind. If Bagman was going to be dirty in every way possible, she'd have to stoop to his level. She was going to play dirty herself.

"In the meantime there is something you could do for me." Vicki spoke up, hoping she sounded flirty and not forced and awkward – the way she actually felt inside.

"Oh? What could that possibly be?" Bagman asked her as a huge grin spread across his rosy face.

"Every time you have an inappropriate thought about me, write it down. Send them to me through owl post. I want to know exactly what kind of ride I'm in for – before I turn seventeen. I need to be prepared." Vicki coyly requested.

She watched Bagman intensely as nerves rushed through her body. She was in a busy pub so she knew he wouldn't lay his hands on her. But if he did there were plenty of people to come to her rescue. She wasn't afraid of what he could do to her. Instead she was feeling anxious about tipping her toes over the point of no return. Up until now she had been lightly scheming with the twins in order to get their money back. She had only been slightly using Bagman's perverted nature against him to lure him alone.

But now it was getting serious. She wasn't doing anything illegal, but it was getting far too immoral. If anyone else caught wind of what she was doing, her reputation would be ruined. She would be branded a whore for seducing a much older, well respected man. She also risked angering Bagman and feeling his wrath should he ever find out this was all purely to get the Weasley twins' money back. She knew he had many friends in powerful places who could essentially ruin any future aspirations.

Vicki reconsidered her involvement for a brief moment as the risk factor finally hit her for once. But she remembered what Fred meant to her and decided to press on. He was more than worth it.

"Oh, you naughty girl. Challenge very much so accepted." Bagman purred in her ear quietly. Vicki was disgusted at this action but she had to contain her giggles at just how inappropriate Bagman was.

"Great. The sooner the better, so I'll be departing you. If you watch my behind as I leave it might give you some inspiration to get one of those letters into my hand." Vicki winked with an enthusiastic head nod before turning around and stalking off to disappear into the busy crowd and out of Bagman's sight.

She manoeuvred her way around the bustling pub and eventually found the twins at a standing table, finding them due to their fiery hair contrasting against the black robes of the sea of students. To her relief Lee wasn't with them, it was good for Vicki as she wanted to immediately tell them about what had just happened with Bagman.

"Where's Lee?" Vicki curiously asked the twins after she joined them.

"Said he needed go to the lavatory." Fred matter-of-factly-responded.

"But looks as if he's decided to go annoy poor old Ange." George grinned loudly.

Vicki whipped her head around to where the twins were nodding and saw the Gryffindor Quiddich Team girls – Alicia, Katie and Angelina sitting at a table. Lee had pulled up a chair and was next to Angelina trying to make her laugh. Angelina was trying hard not to give Lee the satisfaction that she found what he was saying entertaining, but she was unable to continue to stifle her laughter and she began to laugh heartedly at his words.

"Does Lee actually have feelings for Angelina? I know he always compliments her during his Quiddich commentary and goes on about how attractive she is. But I thought it was all just a bit of a fun." Vicki asked curiously.

"Kind of. He does think she's really good looking, but it's mostly superficial feelings. He'll flirt with her here and there but he doesn't do too much chasing." Fred responded.

"What my dear twin brother means is that on a scale of one to 'Fred Weasley and Vicki Hartwell' it's a solid five, maybe a six on some days." George teased with a large grin.

Fred shoved his brother out of embarrassment but stopped being annoyed at he looked at his girlfriend who was smiling brightly towards him. Vicki would never tire of hearing about how Fred felt about her. Especially as she was so oblivious to his long courtship of her before they got together. Vicki felt she missed out on something really special building, so she liked hearing about it in retrospect.

"Hmm. I better write to my muggle friend Sarah and see how she feels about him. They fooled around together once over summer, remember? She hasn't mentioned any feelings to Lee in any subsequent letters but she did ask me to pass on some er, photos of her." Vicki spoke up.

"The naked ones." George bluntly pointed out.

"Yes, the naked ones. Did you see them?" Vicki sharply asked George but darted her eyes between the two twins.

"I didn't go looking for them, honest. Lee shouldn't leave stuff like that leaving around! Kenneth Towler was the one who found them, and showed all the boys in our dorm," George responded but then quickly added more on when he saw Vicki's face fall "Fred refused to look. He made some excuse on why at the time, don't remember what. But now it all makes sense. He'd rather look at you."

Vicki focused her attention onto Fred, who she realised was being very uncharacteristically quiet for a topic that could be considered a goldmine to a prankster like him. His face had heated up to match his hair and he wore a forced smile on his face. Vicki could see Fred was clearly embarrassed.

Vicki reached out and grabbed the hand of her boyfriend to show him some affection. She understood all these feelings were new to him and he had most likely never opened up in this way before to anyone. He had to be nurtured and not ridiculed. The best way to do this in front of George right now was through non-verbal cues.

Fred understood what his girlfriend was trying to do and returned her affection by lighting circling his thumb against her palm as their hands were entwined. Vicki enjoyed the moment of romance as she knew things were about to get heated with what she was about to bring up.

"So er, Bagman is here. I just ran into him at the bar." Vicki mentioned to the twins.

George's head shot up at this revelation whilst Fred dropped Vicki's hand out of shock.

"Should we charge over and accost him? It'll be hard for him to slip away with all of these people around." George suggested.

"Did Bagman try to talk to you?" Fred asked Vicki, ignoring George's suggestion completely.

"Yeah…he did. Before you ask and get worried and all of that, yeah he was his usual creepy self. But a goldmine is coming our way." Vicki explained quickly.

"How was he his usual creepy self?" "What's the goldmine?" the two twins quickly asked Vicki.

Vicki looked in between Fred and George and saw their different expressions. George was looking curious but there was still a mischievous glint in his eye. Fred had even more emotions apparent on his face. His eyebrows were furrowed in annoyance, but also out of slight worry for Vicki.

He no longer wanted her to be part of their scheming as it was proving that Bagman posed a danger to Vicki. Fred also knew that Vicki had high hopes for the rest of her academic career, and even beyond school she had bright aspirations. If they got caught getting too involved doing things they shouldn't be doing it wouldn't end well for Vicki. Vicki had been telling Fred the two known contenders for Head Girl next year were herself and Mildred Tate. If Vicki were exposed scheming with the twins to claw back their winnings from illegal gamblings, at the very least they'd all have to suffer the next year having a Hufflepuff Head Girl with the personality of a wet blanket.

"His usual creepy self was, well his usual creepy self. Flirting, less-than-subtle-suggestions. The usual," Vicki sighed to appear non-chalant but then a naughty grin appeared over her face as she leaned in to whisper the rest "But I convinced him to start writing down those thoughts and sending them to me. In writing"

"Why would we want to read Bagman's creepy perverted thoughts to you?" George snorted at Vicki's comment.

Fred was silent as he seemed deep in thought but then he clicked his fingers. He was always just a tad more daring than George and thus he could understand his girlfriend's intentions immediately.

"Blackmail. We'd have something a lot more substantial as it would be in writing." Fred spoke up.

"Bingo. He's a high ranking Ministry wizard with a favourable view in the public eye as an ex-athlete. Imagine if it came out he was sending inappropriate letters to an underage school girl. It would be game over for the ex-Quiddich player." Vicki grinned.

Fred was left flabbergasted. In any other circumstance he would be immensely proud of his girlfriend for her clever thinking and her willingness to get her hands dirty purely just to help him. Normally he would grab her in a big kiss and fight the urge to confess to her that he loved her.

But this was different. He was still very much impressed but also worried. Very worried.

"I-I don't know how I feel about that. I think this is turning into a bit too much." George stuttered around, the first to speak after Vicki revealed her plan.

"Well that's Bagman's issue. Shouldn't have shadily taken money off school boys. Or shamelessly flirted with school girls. All I'm doing is collecting evidence of activities that he voluntarily chooses to participate in." Vicki defensively shot back as she crossed her arms. She wasn't expecting such hesitation from the twins.

"It's brilliant. But hopefully it won't be needed. You're only collecting this evidence to threaten him with, right? You're not going to actually go public with this information if he still refuses to pay off?" Fred asked Vicki.

"Merlin, of course not. My reputation would be ruined forever. But he doesn't need to know that we're not serious. But the evidence will be there if you need it. You don't need to use it." Vicki responded.

Fred shot a look towards George. They were both uncomfortable about this situation for different reasons. Unlike George, Fred had no qualms about blackmailing Bagman. Vicki was right – Bagman was the one who got himself into this situation. But Fred was still worried about Vicki's involvement.

He wasn't sure whether he should vocalise his feelings or not. He also wasn't sure if he were to speak up about his hesitations – whether he should wait until they were alone or just get it off his chest now. He decided to just go for it, even if George was present.

"You're a big girl and I know you can handle yourself. But if possible I would like for you to include George and I in every one of your dealings with Bagman. It makes me feel uneasy how unstable the situation is and how easily things could go out of hand." Fred requested.

George remained silent but sent a swift nod towards Vicki. He didn't want to get involved in any relationship dramas but Vicki was a friend to him, and he too worried about her safety.

To both of their delight Vicki sent a smile their way. She wasn't angry.

"Of course. I couldn't do this without both of your support. Besides it's more funny if we're all involved. We can laugh at the cheesy stuff that he sends me and you can help me with response," Vicki smirked but noticed the two twins still held stone faces "But let's worry about this later. I don't want Bagman ruining the rest of our Hogsmeade visit."

The tension in the air was soon lifted. Vicki immediately shifted the topic and made George forget all about Bagman and their plans to potentially blackmail him. Lee also joined them again after getting nowhere with Angelina. Even though the rest of the group were laughing and joking, Fred still couldn't shake the uneasy feeling.

It wasn't anger towards Bagman or even anxious feelings about Vicki's safety. There was just a nagging feeling at the back of his mind and he couldn't work out why.

* * *

After a quick study session in the library and a long shower, Vicki sighed happily as she flopped onto a couch in the Ravenclaw common room next to Stephanie Fawcett. Both girls were clad in their pyjamas. Both Vicki and Stephanie had no qualms about lounging around the common room in their pyjamas. Vicki had restrictions in that she would only do it after nine pm and if she had no plans to leave the common room, but it wasn't uncommon to see her and Stephanie gossiping and giggling in the corner late at night wearing comfortable attire.

Vicki had just finished telling Stephanie about her Hogsmeade visit (omitting the parts about Bagman) when a fellow Ravenclaw student appeared.

"Hey, can I join you?" Cho Chang asked nervously, making a bee line for the two older girls after climbing the stairs into the common room suspiciously right on curfew time.

"Sure!" Vicki said suddenly as she moved over to make room for Cho, but Stephanie stared her down with a mock glare.

"You're more than welcome to," Steph agreed before adding a condition "So long as you change out of your robes and get into your best pyjamas."

Vicki glared at Stephanie as Cho scampered off to get changed.

"What? She knew I was joking. We're all friends with her. She's pretty cool, for a fifth year. She knows we have no qualms with hanging out with her. We've also raised her social standing ten fold since letting her hang out with us. She won't be mad at us." Stephanie defended quickly.

"Actually, I think the fact that she's Cedric's girlfriend has raised her social standing. We're the ones who should be happy she lets unimportant and no longer relevant plebs like us sit with her. But that's why I want to have a chat with her. I want to make sure I can smooth over today with her." Vicki hissed.

"Oh cheer up. She's gone to get changed into her pyjamas. She hasn't gone to write a metre long Potions essay. She'll be back in about two seconds." Stephanie stated rolling her eyes at Vicki's dramatic statement.

Stephanie was correct. Moments later Cho re-appeared wearing striped pyjama pants and a matching button up top. She took a seat next to Vicki and sent the two older girls a small smile.

"See, isn't that much more comfortable than sitting around in your school robes?" Stephanie asked matter-of-factly.

"Yes, it is." Cho shyly responded.

"Apologies about Steph forcing you into them. She meant well, even though her execution came across as bitchy. She wanted you to be comfortable. If you haven't already worked it out, she can be a little blunt at times." Vicki explained.

"It's okay. This does feel a lot better. Thank you." Cho responded as she darted her eyes between Vicki and Stephanie.

Cho had now spent a lot of time with Vicki and Stephanie so she no longer felt nervous in their presence. Out of all the popular sixth years they were the ones she felt the most comfortable around, especially as they had started to get to know her before she became Cedric's girlfriend. But she was still getting used to a lot of their quirks and habits. Stephanie, as Vicki had stated, was often blunt and would blurt out inappropriate questions or statements. Vicki would grab something said in conversation and go off on a tangent. They weren't things that Cho disliked but the two girls were very different to her best friend Marietta who often kept to herself. It was taking a lot of getting used to.

"Anyway, now that's all out of the way. Vicki is worried that you and Cedric are mad at her for ruining your double date today. So, are you?" Steph asked suddenly.

"N-no, of course not. Why would we be? Besides, it was Fred Weasley who got you both kicked out. I know you had nothing to do with it." Cho responded.

Vicki felt relief wash over her. She was glad that Cho and Cedric held no ill feelings towards her. However Vicki then processed Cho's response the same time that Stephanie looked towards her and gave her a look.

"So you blame Fred?" Both Vicki and Steph asked at the same time.

"No! Of course not. That Slytherin girl was vile and I haven't told Cedric this, but I think what Fred did to her was funny. I just mean to say that I don't blame you for getting booted out of the teashop. It didn't ruin our date anyway, we just continued on." Cho explained fully.

A smirk twitched at Vicki's lips as she could read between the lines. Cho was too polite to outwardly admit it, but the Hogsmeade visit improved drastically after the four of them split up. It was an awkward encounter and it was obvious to them all that Fred still was yet in a position to be civil towards Cedric for reasons unknown to all of them. It was something Vicki would need to discuss with him, and have Fred overcome these ill feelings before Vicki would try to get them all together again.

But for now she was just glad that Cho and Cedric were not mad at her.

"So, we cool?" Vicki asked to confirm.

"Of course, we're fine." Cho beamed.

* * *

 **Apologies for the lack of updates and all. I'm doing the hardest subject of my CPA course that I've already failed once, so I've been focusing on studying for the past few months (exam is tomorrow, fingers crossed I pass this time!). I also got a promotion at work and it's really been taxing and time consuming fixing the mistakes of the person I replaced. But I'll have a lot of spare time to finally move this story on from here onwards.**


	37. Chapter 37

The closer that the second task got, the more excited the Hogwarts students grew.

It was now towards the end of January which meant two things. Firstly, the students had finally settled into the new term and the post-holidays depression was beginning to disappear. Secondly, and most importantly, the second task of the Triwizard Tournament was now only a little over a month away. Students were becoming thrilled but restless. With no more Hogsmeade visits until after the second task it was now the topic that all the students would excitably chatter about.

With all the students growing livelier due to the upcoming task the Hogwarts prefects now had their work cut out for them. They were even busier than the lead up to the first task, as the students now knew the dangerous caliber of what to expect. Many different rules had been broken by many different students who had been caught by the prefects. A few illegal bets on the upcoming task had been busted. A few lovers still going strong after the Yule Ball had been caught together in compromising positions. A few rumours about possible sabotage had been investigated, debunked and in a few cases action had been taken.

The prefects had a lot more responsibility to the school this year compared to past years, and made the previous year's patrols look like a mere walk in the park. It was rumoured that the Head Boy and Girl – Paul Greene and Kelly Winters were running on two hours sleep per night. They acted so frantic and erratic most students didn't doubt the validity behind the rumour.

But even regular prefects were finding it hard to balance their academic commitments, their prefect duties and attempting a social life on top of this. Victoria Hartwell included.

"How do I know you're not trying to prank me?" Vicki pouted towards her boyfriend as he led her through the castle one evening, his hands on each of her sides as he carefully maneuvered her around the corridors.

"When have I ever pranked you?" Fred asked her earnestly, even though he knew exactly what was coming.

"Hmm, where do I start? In first year when you made me fall into my cauldron and my hair went blue. In third year you and George locked the entire Charms class into a room and set off dungbombs, trapping us. In fourth year-" Vicki explained as she launched into naming the extensive list of pranks her boyfriend had pulled on her, but his laughing cut her off.

"Yes, yes. We could be here naming my practical jokes until the Bicorns come home. But I must say I forgot about the dungbomb Charms incident of 1991. George and I only did it because there was a relief teacher that day. Would have never done that to poor old Flitwick." Fred grinned.

Vicki only saw his grin as she opened her eyes for a split second to see her boyfriend's face.

He had approached Vicki in the Great Hall moments earlier and asked her to accompany him. She followed him willingly even though he had asked her to keep her eyes closed. The past couple of weeks had been horrible for her. Instead of doing weekly patrols, Kelly and Paul had put all their prefects on daily patrols. With patrols and increased sixth year schoolwork she had very little time recently to spend with Fred. The time she did spend with him outside of class was usually spent doing homework together.

Aside from a quick snog here and there Vicki and Fred had not been able to spend proper time together as a couple. Which is why Fred organised something for them both tonight.

"You can open your eyes. We're here." Fred announced and Vicki let her eyes flutter open.

She grinned at what she saw in front of her. Fred had taken her into the Hogwarts kitchens. But unlike every other time they occupied the cookery it wasn't just to pop in to grab a meal to go. Tonight the main event was to spend time within the kitchens.

A small table had been set up in the corner out of the way of the house elves who were running around to prepare dinner for the rest of the students. A modest navy blue table cloth had been smoothed upon the table, with an unlit candle positioned to the side of the table.

"I would love to make a joke about this, I really would. But this is really incredibly sweet and I don't want to ruin your confidence as I'm guessing this is something you've put a lot of thought into, and I don't want to take away from that and stop-" Vicki started to explain nervously but was cut off by a chuckle from Fred.

"Vicki. Just shut up and enjoy it." Fred laughed as he gave his girlfriend a lazy kiss on the side of her head before sitting down and lighting the candle with his wand.

Vicki sent him a smile as she took a seat at the table but then frowned as she realised something that Fred didn't do.

"You didn't hold the seat out for me. Rude." She teased with a laugh to show she was joking. Fred realised this but he was going to continue on with the teasing.

"Nope, no way. You're more than capable of pulling your own chair out to take a seat." Fred responded.

Vicki smiled to Fred. She absolutely loved their exchanges and the fact they could tease and prod each other in jest. She felt the most comfortable around him, even more so than when she was with Cedric or Stephanie. She wouldn't give this relationship up for the world.

"That's alright. I'm going to write to your mum and tell her all about this." Vicki teased as she stuck out her tongue for added effect.

Fred was silent as he studied his girlfriend's face. It was an odd comment for her to make and he wasn't sure whether she was serious or not. She made goofy faces at him as he read her expression. She knew exactly what he was doing. He smiled as he lost his train of thought and suddenly didn't care whether Vicki's ridiculous threat was real or not.

It had sunk in a while ago but every now and again he would have a sudden and random realisation that he managed to get the girl he had been yearning for. The girl who the previous year he watched from afar yet could never approach. The girl who was the only thing in the world who could take away his confidence and make him nervous. The one who made his palms sweat and his heart skip a beat. The girl he could never seem to argue with, or be angry towards. She was the girl he was well and truly in love with.

Before he could go deeper in his thoughts he was bought back to reality by Vicki speaking up.

"I actually have been writing to your mum. I was just waiting for the perfect time to bring it up and make a funny comment," Vicki mentioned but continued to explain when Fred sent her a quizzical look "Don't get weird about it. I just wrote to her to thank her for the sweater she knitted me for Christmas. I sent her some of the polaroids I took of all of us at Christmas"

"You sent her photos from that muggle camera you have? Photos that don't move? Blimey, I bet dad went mental over those." Fred remarked just as two elves scurried over and placed two plates of food on the table. They squeaked as they bowed and then departed as quickly as they came over.

"She did mention that your father was very fascinated by them and spent hours looking at them. She also mentioned they're now on display somewhere in your house. Now excuse me if I seem anti-social but I'm going to be quiet for five minutes whilst I inhale this meal. I did homework during lunch today, these nightly prefect patrols are killing me." Vicki quickly blabbed on before she ungracefully picked up her fork and began shovelling food into her mouth.

"Heyyyyy." George Weasley teased his brother as he took a seat next to him in the common room later that night.

Fred had gotten back to the common room very early that night. Straight after dinner Vicki needed to depart as she had her nightly prefect patrol shift. She was in better spirits about it as apparently she was scheduled to walk the corridors with Cedric that night. It irritated Fred as he felt uneasy about the two wandering around dark corridors together late at night.

Instead he focused his thoughts on Vicki and divulged into the feelings of gratefulness he experienced earlier in the night. He had the time to explore into his feelings deeper and realise something he had never realised before. He was keen to share his findings with his brother even though he knew it could potentially lead to ridicule.

Therefore he waited in the common room for George to return. When Fred spent time with Vicki, George and Lee would normally go find an adventure of their own and then come back to the common room to brag and tease Fred that he missed out to go spend time with a girl instead. Fred normally would shut them up by reminding them he had a girlfriend and they didn't.

"Where's Lee?" Fred spoke up without greeting his twin as he looked around the room.

"With Ron and Harry. I don't think he could bear hearing you once again brag about the fact you have a girlfriend. Why?" George smirk as he bumped Fred's shoulder playfully.

"Because I need to talk to you. About having a girlfriend. I've realised something tonight," Fred began and quickly cut George off before he could even make a teasing remark "I'm pretty sure she definitely feels the same way about me. I think she loves me."

George broke out into a huge smile as he felt ecstatic for his brother. Now was not the time for witty remarks. Now was the time to lend him the listening ear Fred desperately needed and hopefully at the end it would be time for a celebration.

"Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure? I mean, it would take an awful lot for that poor girl to love you." George teased loudly, but made sure to keep his smile on his face to show his twin that he was joking.

"I-I think so. You see I've been replaying in my head my previous interactions with Vicki, from before this year. Mainly from what she was like when she was with Davies-" Fred began to explain, but George cut him off harshly.

"-You shouldn't. You're much better than that pretty boy schmuck. Vicki picked you, mate. She wants you, not Davies." George quickly stated sympathetically

"I know," Fred agreed quickly with no sadness evident in his voice "The thing is, she does things for me she would never have even considered for Davies when she was with him. This Bagman thing? Wouldn't have done it in a million years for him. She's not a rule breaker for anyone but me."

Fred then began to launch into all of the anecdotes to refresh George's mind of their previous dealings with Vicki Hartwell before she was properly in their lives as a friend or a lover.

* * *

 **October 31, 1993**

 _"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle. I'm afraid that for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here." Dumbledore began to explain to the school._

 _The excited whispering from all of the students stopped as they all quietened hastily to hear what Dumbledore had to say._

 _Sirius Black had not just been spotted in the castle, but had attacked the Fat Lady portrait at the end of the corridor outside of Gryffindor Tower. This had happened after she had refused him access into the tower. The Gryffindors had been moved straight away, but not too long after the Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and Slytherins joined them in the Great Hall for the night. The teachers had been tight lipped about the events as they were scrambling around the castle, leaving the Gryffindors to fill in the blanks to the other students. Until now._

 _"I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge." Dumbledore finished loudly before turning to Percy and Penelope to give them specific instructions._

 _"Great. If Percy Weasley's ego wasn't big enough before, put him in charge after a crisis and watch him become more bloody big-headed." Vicki scoffed quietly to her boyfriend who was standing next to her._

 _"Well, he is Head Boy. It's kind of part of the job to be put in charge after a major event when the teachers need to all go investigate. Dumbledore couldn't really put anyone but Percy and Penelope in charge…" Roger logically pointed out and began wincing at the end, knowing how Vicki would react._

 _"But still! He's going to be unbearable for tonight, then he's going to be unbearable for weeks as he boasts to everyone about tonight and how well he handled looking over the student body. Let's just guess and say he'll be ten times more unbearable until the end of the year-" Vicki ranted, but just as she was finishing she was cut off by Roger planting a big kiss on her lips to quieten her down._

 _"Then let's sneak off. We'll be safe just outside the entrance. We'll see Black if he comes this way well and truly before he reaches us. Then we can be heroes and sound the alarm. What do you say?" Roger asked cheekily as he placed an affectionate peck on Vicki's shoulder._

 _Vicki sent her boyfriend a guilty smile as she studied his pleading face. She was absolutely crazy for Roger. His dark eyes and strong jaw still made butterflies erupt in her stomach. But there was one thing that far outweighed her growing love for her boyfriend. Her future aspirations._

 _"Sorry, can't. Plenty of time for snogging another time. I don't know about you but I really would like to become Head Girl in two years' time. We'll never be considered for Head Boy and Head Girl if we get caught snogging during a crisis." Vicki responded._

 _Roger pouted towards his girlfriend as he felt dejected due to her turning down his offer. Before he could argue or try to guilt trip them, a bossy voice barked at them._

 _"Break it up you two. No canoodling on my watch. Hartwell, you're to be stationed near the windows in the far right. You never know if Black could enter or exit through those windows. Davies we need your brawn near the entrance to the Entrance Hall, for obvious reasons." Percy pompously stated as he marched towards the younger prefect couple._

 _"Yes, Weasley." Vicki said in a faux sickly-sweet voice, batting her eyelashes until Percy left with her boyfriend in tow._

 _Vicki may not have wanted to break any rules in order to keep her squeaky clean record, but her interaction with Percy left a sour taste in her mouth. As there was no 'don't-make-rude-hand-gestures to the Head Boy' rule (as far as she was aware) she couldn't help herself. Without thinking she stuck up her middle finger to Percy's turned back._

 _As soon as she realised she could have gotten in trouble she quickly lowered her finger and anxiously looked around the sea of students to see if anyone had seen her gesture. No one of importance saw her rude gesture but out of the corner of her eye she noticed one of the Weasley twins looking her way. Vicki felt like a deer in headlights as she sent a guilty grin towards the twin. She wasn't sure which twin it was as she wasn't able to tell the two apart, but she was nervous she would feel the wrath of the infamous Weasley twins after insulting their older brother._

 _To her relief the twin sent her a huge smile and a wink. Unknown to Vicki both twins absolutely loved to see their pretentious older brother be put in his place. Also unknown to Vicki, or anyone else in the school, this twin in particular also had a very small crush on her._

* * *

 **November 6, 1993**

 _"You must be glad to be in here rather than out there." Madam Pomfrey said to Vicki as she nodded her head towards the large window to the side of the Hospital Wing._

 _Vicki cast her eyes to the view. A ferocious thunderstorm was happening outside. The rain and storm clouds were so thick it was impossible to see past a few metres outside the window, but the loud thunder and the sky lighting up every few minutes served as an adequate indicator of how bad the storm was._

 _"Yep. Definitely prefer to be in here right now." Vicki grinned._

 _Vicki was volunteering in the Hospital Wing this year. She was very passionate about the healing profession and wanted to get some hands-on experience during her school years to be prepared after she finished school in just under three years. Madam Pomfrey rarely took on apprentices as she didn't trust students (or anyone else for that matter) to provide adequate care for her patients. But after Vicki had been caught performing simple healing spells on her fellow students Madam Pomfrey relented and let Vicki do volunteering shifts to stop her from performing these duties outside of her watch. It was far safer to have Vicki under her watch than providing sloppy care outside of the Hospital Wing._

 _Madam Pomfrey also saw a lot of potential in Vicki and wanted to help her succeed in her future career._

 _"Well I'm glad you're here. Somebody always gets hurt in Quiddich during these weather conditions." Madam Pomfrey stated before muttering under her breath about her disapproval that the match wasn't cancelled._

 _Even though the weather conditions were woeful, it appeared the entire school was currently attendinh the match between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. When Vicki was making her way up to the Hospital Wing the corridors seemed empty. Everybody seemed to be taking special care to not end up sick or injured as for the first time Vicki had ever seen, there was not one patient in the hospital wing needing care. Instead Vicki and Madam Pomfrey were making idle chit chat as they cleaned instruments and re-filled potions bottles to be ready to go when patients did come in._

 _Madam Pomfrey was in the middle of lecturing Vicki about what subjects to take after O.W.L. year ('Herbology is mandatory for healing but between you and me practical experience goes a long way, plus the ministry offer make-up subjects for a few selected students who couldn't complete certain ones at N.E.W.T. level') when there was a loud commotion._

 _Both females in the Hospital Wing rose to their feet as Dumbledore came rushing in with a stretcher floating in front of him. Madam Pomfrey gasped as she saw the bloodied body on the stretcher as Dumbledore slowly lowered the stretcher onto a bed. Vicki craned her neck to see who the person was, it took a few moments to see through the mud and blood but the broken glasses and Gryffindor robes gave it away that it was Potter._

 _"I-is he dead?" Madam Pomfrey stuttered as she was too horrified to ask anything else._

 _To Vicki's surprise she saw Dumbledore send a twinkling smile towards Madam Pomfrey, but his eyes met hers for a few moments._

 _"No, he is not. He had a nasty fall but I was able to slow him down before he hit the ground. I'm sure Potter is in very capable hands here." Dumbledore stated._

 _Both Madam Pomfrey and Vicki waited for further instruction from Dumbledore but didn't receive any as Dumbledore slowly shuffled out of the Hospital Wing. Under any normal circumstance Vicki would find it humourous to be given a difficult task so casually, with absolutely no direction from Dumbledore. But this was serious. A boy's life was hanging in the balance._

 _"Hartwell, out. Potter needs a lot of healing potions and spells. I can't be distracted." Madam Pomfrey briskly stated to Vicki as she began to push the young student out of the Hospital Wing._

 _"I know I'm not qualified to heal, but there has to be something I can do! Can I fetch you anything whilst you do your work? Potions? Bandages?" Vicki asked enthusiastically as she dug her feet into the ground to slow Madam Pomfrey pushing her out._

 _"You can guard the entrance and keep out the snoopers. The only people I'll allow in is the Gryffindor team as I'm sure they're frightened beyond belief, oh and Potter's two friends Granger and Weasley." Madam Pomfrey stated as she managed to finally get Vicki out of the door._

 _"What if someone comes who is sick or injured?" Vicki asked her mentor._

 _Madam Pomfrey pondered for a second before quickly responding._

 _"Then you can be a triage healer and put them to a bed. But no healing," Madam Pomfrey said sternly with a finger pointed at Vicki "Do you understand?"_

 _"Yes Madam Pomfrey." Vicki briskly responded and received no response as the school matron ran back into the Hospital Wing to begin to heal Harry._

 _Vicki stationed herself out the front of the hospital wing and then waited. She did notice a few rubberneck students who slowly walked past and tried to glance in on their tippy toes, who were given a cool 'keeeeep walkin' from Vicki._

 _Eventually two breathless students appeared in front of her. Vicki had seen the girl around and knew she was friends with Potter but never knew her name. The boy was distinguishable based on his red hair – he was a Weasley. Which would have made the girl Granger._

 _"I don't care what Madam Pomfrey says. Our best mate is in there. We're going in!" The youngest Weasley boy demanded to Vicki once he landed in front of her, earning a 'Ron!' from Hermione._

 _"She said you, Granger, and the other six of Harry's closest friends are all welcome in there according to Madam Pomfrey. So you probably should care." Vicki sheepishly grinned._

 _"Six of Harry's closest friends? Madam Pomfrey knows who Harry's six best friends are?" Ron asked in amazement as he clearly lost track of the current situation for a moment._

 _"Ron, she clearly means the rest of the team. Let's go see if Harry is okay." Hermione hissed as she sent Vicki a small smile before bossily pulling Ron into the Hospital Wing by his robes._

 _Vicki waited a few moments to see if she could hear shocked gasps, or if Weasley and Granger would be kicked out by Madam Pomfrey. When neither occurred Vicki let out a sigh of relief. Clearly Potter was going to be okay._

 _Not too long after Granger and Weasley had scampered in, three other females had appeared at the entrance to the Hospital Wing. Vicki knew they were on the Gryffindor team – Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell. No words were exchanged as the three girls seemed too worried to speak up, so Vicki only gave them a head nod to indicate they were welcome to go in._

 _"Hey there good looking. What time is knock off time? I'm guessing you got kicked out so Madam Pomfrey could focus on Potter?" Vicki heard a confident voice come from her right. She had been so focused on the three Gryffindor girls approach on her left she didn't realise Roger was coming from the other way._

 _"You'd be correct. I'm not sure when I'm done. I might go back in soon and see if I'm needed or if I'm dismissed. I-I think Potter is going to be okay, in case you were wondering. What even happened? Dumbledore came in with a stretcher, but that's all I know." Vicki responded, talking fastly. She knew Roger was at the match and would have witnessed the events leading up to Potter's injury._

 _"Dementors stormed the Quiddich pitch and it somehow made Potter fall off his broom," Roger gossiped but then bought his head to hers and spoke lowly "Do you reckon you could go in and take a peak to see if Potter will be out for the rest of the season?"_

 _Vicki looked at her boyfriend with her mouth open. She was in complete shock at his request. She knew she wasn't the poster girl for all things good, but she still couldn't believe where his priorities were lying. Vicki was also outraged that he was using her volunteer work for inside information._

 _"You want me to spy on the Gryffindor Quiddich Team to see if Potter will fly again this season? You gotta be kidding me!" Vicki shouted at Roger, taking a step back from him in disgust._

 _"N-no. Just kidding." Roger sheepishly smiled as he looked around and saw passing students glance over at Vicki's outburst._

 _"Then I'll see you at dinner, yes?" Vicki asked sternly as she crossed her arms and glared at her boyfriend. On the inside this was killing her – she was crazy for Roger and this was their first real disagreement. She hated being mad at him, but the trainee healer in her was coming out. Potter wasn't her patient but she empathised with Madam Pomfrey. There was no way she could let her feelings for Roger let her do the wrong thing and jeopardise her future aspirations._

 _"Sure. Bye beautiful." Roger awkwardly stated as he gave Vicki a quick peck on the lips before turning and briskly walking in the opposite direction._

 _Vicki had been so pre-occupied with Roger she didn't notice two students standing in front of her wanting to gain entrance to the Hospital Wing. She gulped a little as nerves began to rise in her. The two students wanting to enter were the Weasley twins. She knew if they heard Roger's request both her and Roger would be their next pranking target for the next month, perhaps even the next year._

 _"Did you hear that exchange I had with Roger?" Vicki asked them both nervously. She wanted to appear strong and not show weakness, but by the end of her question she was a quivering mess._

 _"Yes." They both said in unison with big grins on both their faces._

 _"Okay. What do I need to do to not let you ruin both our lives?" Vicki winced._

 _"You don't need to do anything." One of them (Unknown to Vicki this was George) nonchalantly shrugged._

 _"You did the right thing and denied Davies. Your pretty boy boyfriend on the other hand. Well. You might want to advise him to sleep with one eye open for a while." The second twin winked to Vicki sounding wicked with his words._

 _At this point in time Fred's feelings towards Vicki was only a small crush. He was not obsessed… yet. He still found himself going red whenever she was in his proximity and liked to stare at her when she wasn't looking. Therefore even though it was just a small infatuation he felt horrible to see how nervous she was in his presence._

 _"I repeat. What do you want from me to ensure that you leave Roger alone, or at least not prank him above others? What can I do to buy your silence?" Vicki asked the twins, her voice still wavering as she tried to appear strong in her negotiations._

 _"I don't know. What do we want Fred?" George cheekily asked his twin, wanting Fred to lead._

 _Fred gulped. If it were almost anyone else he'd love to string out this conversation and make the person squirm – especially if it was a girl from another house who had disrespected his friend and star seeker for his team. But it was Vicki Hartwell, his crush. He wasn't capable of cruelly dragging her along for a prank. Even if her boyfriend was a twat._

 _"You know George, I don't know. How about you owe us, Hartwell. One day, someday, we'll call on that favour." Fred responded and gave a swift wink towards Vicki to calm her down._

 _"Really? You mean it? You won't tell anyone how much of an arse Roger just was?" Vicki asked the twins sounding surprised._

 _George seemed to mirror Vicki's shock as he didn't say anything but turned to shoot a look to his twin brother. It was rare for George to be confused and caught off guard by Fred's actions, and Fred letting Hartwell and Davies off the hook was certainly one of those rare times._

 _"To be honest all we really care about is seeing Harry and finding out if he's going to be okay, no offense Hartwell. So we'll let you off the hook just this once, but you owe us." Fred responded._

 _"It can be at any place, any time. One day we'll call on you, and you'll have to do as we say." George added on quickly, finding a bit of solace in that he was able to tease Hartwell at least a little._

 _"Sure thing. But once you call on that favour, we're even. Now go see Potter. If he doesn't need cheering up because he's ill, he might need cheering up after suffering such a harsh defeat from Hufflepuff." Vicki smiled as she nodded her head towards the entrance to the hospital wing._

 _George narrowed his eyes at Vicki's comment. He certainly didn't appreciate it – his entire team were feeling sore from the unfair defeat narrowly snatched from them due to dementors storming the field against Dumbledore's wishes. Therefore an ill-thought out attempt at comedy by a girl from a different house outside his friendship circle was certainly inappropriate. George expected Fred to blow up at her insensitive words._

 _Fred felt differently. Perhaps if anyone else in the school had said what Vicki had said, he would not forgive. But it was her. He didn't know her well and barely interacted with her. But he had today learned she had a certain power over him even though there was no way she could know she did. She had an inability to make him mad at her._

 _"Nice one Hartwell. Too bad you'll be eating those words when Gryffindor win the Quiddich Cup. It's still possible – and we'll bury Ravenclaw." Fred smiled lightly before he bounded into the Hospital Wing._

* * *

 **So yeah...there were flashbacks. I normally don't do the whole flashback thing and it's a bit out of place in a story that hasn't used them before, I know. I have basically put them in to try and motivate me into updating again to try and get me back into this story so I can finish it. There's one more flashback coming in the next chapter but then I won't be doing any more. It was just to get a small feel of the little interaction Vicki and Fred had before this school year, and a glimpse of the past relationship Vicki had with Roger, and how different it was to the one she now has with Fred.**

 **Which brings me onto my next point. Sorry I haven't been updating, both this one and the spin off story. I actually have a few chapters of the spin off written that I'll post soon, I'm just currently re-editing that story to fix up some grammar errors (and plot holes I created). As for this one - I'm baaaaack!**


	38. Chapter 38

"Two weeks to go!" Vicki grinned in an excited manner one evening during her and Cedric's prefect patrol. They had been making idle chit chat for half an hour but it had grown flat, so Vicki attempted to bring back some excitement.

Cedric's status as a Triwizard Tournament champion only exempted him from year end exams. As a Hogwarts prefect he still had a duty to the school and thus still had to partake in his patrol shifts. When he was first announced as champion the Head Boy and Girl did go easy on him and take away most of his duties. But with the growing workload that came with the growing excitement for the second task, even the champion had to help out with the grunt work.

There was still some glory that came with being a champion. Both Vicki and Cedric had talked their way into being patrol partners each shift. It was the only chance the two had to spend time together. It was better than not having time to see each other at all.

"Yes, I am aware. As everybody in the school keeps reminding me, or speaking about to me every second of every day." Cedric moodily grumbled in response.

Vicki winced as she realised how poor her attempt at conversation was. Now the second task was only just around the corner, so many people had approached Cedric to talk about it. Some people were just giving him well wishes whilst others were inundating him with unsolicited advice. As the task was now a big part of Cedric's life, Vicki thought she may get a free pass to bring it up as his best friend. But now she realised he must be so sick of hearing and speaking about the Triwizard Tournament, even if it was brought up by her.

Therefore she knew she had to shift the topic away. She didn't have a very good segue, so a silly statement would have to do.

"What are you on about? I wasn't talking about the tournament. Two weeks to go until its two weeks closer to my birthday. Seventeen, it's finally almost here. Just under two months to go." Vicki guilty grinned.

"W-what do you have planned for your birthday?" Cedric asked as he was caught off guard by Vicki's subject change.

"I don't know. It's during the Easter holidays, but my parents aren't even going to be around. Both my parents assumed I'd be staying at school so my mum booked a cruise with her partner, and my dad is going to visit my great uncle in Australia," Vicki shrugged but then added on "I sure as hell am not staying at school though. How depressing."

"Well I'll be there. We'll plan something great." Cedric smiled in an attempt to cheer up Vicki.

The two were silent once more as they paced the corridors together. The hallways were deserted this time of night so the only sounds echoing off the stone walls were their pacing footsteps. Even Peeves could not heard – he must have been pre occupied or on the other side of the castle annoying the other prefects, one of his favourite after dark rituals.

"Sorry about before, Vicki. I'm just under so much stress lately. This upcoming task-" Cedric began to suddenly explain but he was cut off by Vicki.

"-I know, it's a lot of pressure. We don't have to talk about it anymore. We can do our Diggory and Hartwell special by just talking smack to get your mind off it."

"There's," Cedric began to state before he lost confidence and backed down. Then suddenly, as if jolted by electricity, bravery ran throughout him once more and he finished his sentence "There's something you really need to know."

This caused the two to stop walking through the corridor as Vicki turned to face Cedric to give him her full attention.

"Cedric, are you pregnant?" Vicki asked with a large smirk on her face as she put her hands to her hips in mock judgment. Her face fell when she saw the serious look on his face and she noticed he didn't find her joke amusing whatsoever "What is it?"

Cedric watched his best friend carefully. He was about to divulge in something he had kept from everyone, something that was keeping him awake at night. He no longer felt nervous. He was glad and relieved to be letting it all out.

"I absolutely love you Vicki. You know that. You mean the world to me. It's probably cliché and does an injustice to what you mean to me, but you really do feel like a sister to me. You will always be family to me." Cedric stated to Vicki.

Vicki sent a large toothy grin towards Cedric. She was truly touched. As a Ravenclaw she was more logical than emotional and sometimes had trouble conveying her feelings properly. This would be one of those times.

"Awww, you too, Ced!" Vicki replied as she gave him a punch on the shoulder.

Luckily Cedric knew Vicki too well and knew in those four words she meant the exact same he had just spilled out. He knew it was safe to continue on.

"I haven't told anyone this. But I'm in love with Cho. I know it's not just an infatuation anymore. I truly and deeply love Cho Chang. I'm such a lucky guy. I get to love two amazing girls in two different ways, the sister figure and the girlfriend. But now it's bringing me to my downfall." Cedric stated. At the start his voice was bright and proud but by the end his voice had faltered, and he finished his statement with a loud sigh.

"Well Cho and I are lucky to be the two leading ladies in your life. Although I'm luckier. I've got you as a bestie and I've also got an amazing boyfriend as well. Best of both worlds. So nerrr." Vicki immaturely teased as she poked her tongue out at Cedric.

"Well that's the issue. Not the whole Weasley as your boyfriend thing. But that you both mean the world to me. You're both the ones I would miss the most if you were taken from me. Equally. Can't choose between you both." Cedric pointed out.

Vicki wanted to make a smart, teasing remark to Cedric. But she was growing concerned as she studied his face. His brows were furrowed and a large frown was growing as he was facing her. Cedric was normally a very happy go-lucky lad. There was something very wrong and now was not the time for humour.

"Okay. What's the problem, and what can I do to help?" Vicki asked him.

She watched him wince at her words and begin to nervously play with his hands. As his best friend Vicki had seen sides of Cedric that were never exposed to anyone else, and thus she had seen him experience nerves and awkward feelings. But she had never seen him like this. Anxiety began to wash over her and she was beginning to grow impatient at his silence. She contained herself and sat there in silence with him, knowing she was perhaps being a little selfish.

"The clue for the next task in the egg had a line which said 'we've taken what you'll solely miss' and as much as I love my broomstick I don't think they're talking about material possessions." Cedric stated glumly.

"Oh," Vicki responded with as it took a few seconds for what Cedric was hinting at to sink in "Oh! You don't know if it'll be me or Cho. You care for us in different ways, but you care for us equally. Got it."

Cedric's head snapped up as he turned to look to Vicki. He wasn't sure if the full brunt of the danger had hit her yet but she seemed almost unnaturally calm about the news he had just given her. He was almost annoyed that she wasn't expressing the same inner turmoils he felt but then realised he was being unreasonable. He had been given weeks to mull over these facts. Vicki had been given seconds.

"I um…I'm going to need time to process this information. Have you had this conversation with Cho yet?" Vicki stuttered out.

"No. I haven't actually. I thought it would be easier to speak to you first." Cedric confessed.

"Okay. Well you need to. As your girlfriend she'll most likely be the one picked anyway so she needs time to prepare for what's ahead. But um, this may cause issues socially too. You know that, right?" Vicki winced as she hit Cedric with the hard facts.

"W-why?" Cedric stuttered very quickly.

Vicki shot Cedric a small, guilty smile as she looked him directly in his handsome face. She felt horrible that she was the one telling Cedric bad news when he was already filled with nerves and a sense of unease. But as his best friend she wanted him to be aware of what was coming. He was so focused on the task he obviously hadn't had time to think about other consequences.

"Well, let me just say this. If Fred was champion, and Angelina Johnson was picked as the one he missed the most – it definitely would not sit well with me." Vicki stated to Cedric.

She was preparing for Cedric to panic at her words. Instead her words seemed to ease him as a large smirk appeared across his face.

"But it would never be Angelina would it? It would be between you and his twin. Surely you wouldn't be mad if his brother was chosen over you?" Cedric asked in a matter-of-fact tone.

Vicki pondered Cedric's question for a few moments as she wanted to give a truthful answer. She ended up slowly shaking her head.

"No, I wouldn't. We've only been together a couple of months. George on the other hand is another part of Fred, almost an extension of him. Their special bond can't even be put into words. It would make sense for George to be picked over me. I'd be okay with it.' Vicki responded slowly.

"Sounds sort of like one of the champions doesn't it?" Cedric grinned, and continued to explain even after Vicki sent him a sceptical look "Okay, you're not my biological sister. Okay, we only became best friends this year. But the sentiment is still there. If a clever Ravenclaw like you can understand that with your own boyfriend, another clever Ravenclaw should be able to understand the brother-sisterly bond her boyfriend shares with someone."

* * *

"I'm actually quite excited for this bloody second task to be over. Harry's going to kick Cedric's sorry behind and we won't have to hear over and over how amazing pretty boy is," George arrogantly stated towards the end of a Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson "No offense Vicki."

Moody had kept the same seating arrangement that was decided upon in the first lesson of the year – Moody used it as a strong example of his 'constant vigilance' that he always preached. That first lesson was straight after one of Vicki and Roger's fights and that day Vicki had chosen to sit in a row of four with Fred, George and Lee. Therefore to this day she was still required to sit with them each class in the same order. One class George had taken a seat next to Vicki to try and play the 'switch-a-roo' twin prank, but Moody saw through it instantly and growled for George and Fred to switch seats as he was able to tell between the two.

Vicki didn't mind the seating arrangements. Lee had been a good friend of hers since the previous year, and Fred of course was her boyfriend. She was also now starting to grow close to George which was expected, as he was the twin of her boyfriend. Vicki enjoyed the break from her friendship circle to sit with her boyfriend's friends. They were humourous and made the lesson enjoyable for her.

However she didn't appreciate it when they made fun of her friends.

"No offence Vicki? How about no offence to Cedric! Actually, you don't have the guts to actually insult Cedric to his face. He didn't hear your comment." Vicki glared towards George.

"Oh, you're right. My bad." George smirked.

Vicki sent him a sceptical look as she knew a Weasley twin was not to be trusted in a moment like this. Vicki would be correct. George stood up quickly from his seat which earned the attention from the entire class as everyone grew silent.

"Cedric Diggory is a pretty boy and Harry is going to beat him in the task on Wednesday!" George exclaimed loudly to the class boldly before turning to Vicki "See Vicki? I do have the guts to say it to Cedric's face"

Most of the class did not take kindly to George's statement. Vicki quickly shot her eyes towards her friendship group who were shooting daggers towards George. Vicki mouthed 'I'm sorry' to Cedric who only sent her a kind smile to show he wasn't mad that her table companion had said rude things. Although Fred and Lee sniggered at George's loud comments, the Gryffindor girls seated behind them including Alicia and Angelina were less than impressed.

The entire class lost their train of thought when Moody loudly rapped his desk in anger. Everybody jumped and grew quiet as they turned to face the front in fright.

"Extremely poor sportsmanship Weasley. You should be cheering on your fellow student no matter his house or social status. Five points will be taken from Gryffindor for your extreme cowardice in putting down a champion." Moody gruffly growled towards George.

George didn't look too taken aback at this loss of points as he kept grinning and nudged both Fred and Lee. Vicki assumed the opportunity to say what he had said out loud to Cedric was worth the house points loss to George, who had lost many more during his time at Hogwarts.

Other Gryffindors were less than impressed as they shot daggers towards George. Normally his jokes were quite popular with the rest of the students, but insulting the most popular boy in the school was not a crowd pleaser.

The bell rang not too long after Moody took the points from George. The students began to pack up in an orderly fashion and leave quietly. Some teachers (softies, like Flitwick) allowed students to quickly pack up and fling themselves out of the classroom to leave quickly. Other teachers (stricter ones like McGonagall) forced students to pack up quietly and leave in a formal fashion. Moody was one of the stricter teachers which the students learned very quickly at the start of the year.

"Weasley, Hartwell. Wait right there. There's something I need to run past you." Moody growled.

"Which one?" Fred and George asked in unison. Normally it would be assumed that Moody would be referring to Fred when addressing Vicki as well, however he could have been addressing George as he had recently scolded him.

"Whichever one of you wants to do a special task this evening with Hartwell for me." Moody briskly responded.

George quickly jumped up and grab his books. He shot a wink towards Vicki and tapped his twin brother on the shoulder roughly with his free hand.

"I'd love to play around and fight with my dear brother for his opportunity to spend some quality time with his girlfriend. But I know Moody means business and then poor Hartwell would be stuck with my company this evening." George loudly stated before turning around and exiting the classroom – leaving Moody, Fred and Vicki alone in the classroom.

"Professor Moody. Before you go any further – I have prefect patrol tonight with Cedric. Kelly and Paul really need us prefects in the lead up to the task. I doubt they'd let me skip tonight's one." Vicki quickly spoke up.

"Already taken care of, Hartwell. I spoke to Greene and Winters separately and mentioned I needed my bright sixth year Ravenclaw student to scour the castle with a partner of her choosing to make sure all cracks are secure." Moody responded.

Vicki shifted uncomfortably in her spot. She was a suck up and never argued with teachers. Normally being given a task about all others would make her feel proud and she would take it with a great honour. But it was two days before the task and she was very time sensitive right now.

"Professor, I really appreciate the opportunity. But I would really prefer to be patrolling with Cedric tonight. It's his last patrol before the Second Task and I don't think I'm going to be able to spend any time with him before then." Vicki pouted, trying to sound as sweet as possible.

Fred was taken aback and looked at his girlfriend in shock. Her words really stung. She would rather be spending the evening with Cedric and she would even disagree with a teacher to fight for it. He didn't know whether to be mad or upset.

"It's not negotiable Hartwell. I'm sure Diggory will be just fine without you tonight," Moody stated but then began to stare at her eerily down the bridge of his nose "Besides I think with what's ahead of you, you should be spending your time before the task with your boyfriend."

Vicki dropped her books in shock at Moody's ominous words. It was still unknown who would be taken as Cedric's hostage – whether it would be herself or Cho. No extra hints or information had come to light to indicate who would be chosen. Until right now.

Even though Fred wasn't happy with Vicki he bent down to pick up her books as an out of character move to be chivalrous to his girlfriend. Vicki muttered a 'thank you' as she regained her composure and was ready to try and press Moody for more information.

"Are you saying that I'm going to be-" Vicki tried to ask, but she was briskly cut off by Moody.

"-I don't know what you're talking about. Now I suggest for you to scurry along to dinner. I will meet you both after dinner with further instructions." Moody gruffly stated.

Vicki loitered around for a few moments in hopes Moody may change his mind – either about the task with Fred tonight or explaining his hidden words to her. When he continued to stare her down with no explanations she eventually left the classroom with Fred in tow.

Normally Vicki was quite obsessed with her boyfriend. But right now she had other things on her mind.

* * *

 **I've had this chapter written for a while but I wanted to wait until the next one was written so I could go back and re-edit this, and see what needed changing.**

 **Apologies this chapter is a bit boring. Next chapter is a bit of a filler as well (and as it's written already it'll be out in the next day or so) - it's just setting the scene for some really big chapters coming very soon. Things are also going to move a bit faster from here on in.**


	39. Chapter 39

"You know, when Moody said he wanted us to check cracks around the castle I thought it was another word for something else," Vicki exclaimed as she prodded a large crack on the wall "I didn't think it'd actually be cracks."

Staying true to his word, Professor Moody had approached Vicki after dinner and had made her go and find her boyfriend to complete a task. He informed them both that with two guest schools having access to the castle, there was a small possibility there could be a security risk in the lead up to the second task. Therefore he had asked Vicki and Fred to look into any abnormal looking cracks to see if they housed anything sinister.

The issue was that they were in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the strangest place on the planet. Everything within the school walls would be considered abnormal. Vicki had heard stories from many people about Moody and how he had gone loopy after his auror days. She supposed every word of it was true.

"Mmm." Fred responded half heartedly.

Fred was still upset about the earlier conversation Vicki had with Moody after class, where she protested about having to do a task with Fred, because she would rather see Cedric instead. He had yet to voice his concerns to Vicki and instead was staying silent in hurt and anger.

However Vicki knew him well and could sense something was wrong. She had yet to realise how inappropriate her comments were earlier in the evening.

"I just handed you the opportunity to make a smart quip about cracks and stuff, but you didn't take it. What's up?" Vicki asked out of concern as she suddenly stopped in her tracks to face her boyfriend.

"Now's not the time or place. We'll talk about it later." Fred shrugged in an attempt to brush off Vicki's question.

"Nope. We're doing this now. Why are you upset?" Vicki asked again as she refused to back down.

Vicki was determined to find the issue and solve it as soon as possible. In her previous relationship with Roger she was always dealing with a lack of communication which would turn into a huge argument. She had learned from her mistakes and was not going to let the same problems occur once more in this new relationship. She was going to go above and beyond to make sure this relationship worked out.

"We have to check a good majority of cracks in this castle. It's going to take a long time." Fred responded, not even looking at her as he inspected a rather large crack with his wand.

This caused Vicki to let out a large snort.

"Psh, when do you follow teacher's instructions and give up valuable spare time to do a meaningless task to help the school outside of a detention?" Vicki asked him.

"When it gives me the chance to actually spend time with my girlfriend as we rarely get quality time together," Fred snapped at her, getting angrier as he continued to unleash "However you'd rather be with Diggory right now."

Vicki felt anger rise in her upon hearing Fred's words. But just as quickly as it appeared, it washed away as she recounted the day's events in her mind. She remembered arguing with Moody about doing the task because she'd rather see Cedric. She understood how bad this must have sounded in Fred's head.

"That wasn't because of what you think it was. Look, there's some stuff I need to tell you. Do you know if there's anywhere private we can go?" Vicki asked Fred.

In any normal circumstance Fred would have remained angry after getting so heated. But he truly had a soft spot for Vicki Hartwell and thus he softened his face and nodded. Without speaking up he motioned for her to follow him.

They both made their way through the corridors, passing someone they knew here and there and giving a quick wave before continuing on their mission.

"There's a small passageway behind this wall if you knock on the third brick from the left four times. The passageway is blocked and it's not Filch proof as he knows about it. But if you want somewhere private for a chat this place is safe." Fred offered to her quietly.

"Perfect. Thank you." Vicki smiled.

Fred didn't respond as he rapped on one of the bricks four times. He made sure to not go too tough as the stones were hard and could do damage to his knuckles. In front of their eyes the wall cracked open just enough for them to both squeeze through and Vicki took in the sights for the first time.

It looked similar to the corridor outside- the same type of stone was paved throughout the passageway with the same solid beams supporting the roof above. The only main difference were that there were far fewer magical torches lighting the area, there were no paintings scattered around the wall and most importantly ahead it appeared one of the beams had collapsed as there was lots of rubble blocking the way.

"It was barely holding up when George and I discovered this one in first year. Used to lead to right outside the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom." Fred stated as he nodded towards the blockage ahead.

"I'm guessing it wasn't maintained as it was no longer needed. Even though this school is magical, this architecture is over a thousand years old. Without any form of repairs it's not going to hold up." Vicki responded as she continued to admire a new part of the school she had never seen before.

Fred was quiet and Vicki continued to inspect her surroundings. It was only when she turned to look back at Fred when something dawned on her. This was the first time in their relationship where they had been given complete privacy with no chance of anybody walking in on them. They had enjoyed a few snog sessions in a quiet corridor in the past, but those were usually short and sweet as students and teachers would sometimes walk past them.

But now they were in a quiet, secluded and fairly dark place. Vicki was going to take advantage of this.

"Did you take me here on purpose?" Vicki asked with a huge grin on her face. She thought her intentions were made very obvious but she was about to find out they weren't.

"Uh, yeah. To talk. Remember?" Fred responded in an annoyed fashion. He was completely oblivious to Vicki's seduction and was still hurt about what happened earlier.

"To talk? You're boring. The Fred Weasley I know would be doing a lot more than talking if he had his girlfriend," Vicki teased as she rolled her tongue for the last part of the sentence "alone."

Fred grinned sheepishly at his girlfriend. He was still quite mad about everything but as a teenage boy with hormones pumping throughout him, he was definitely willing to put it all aside now for some 'alone time' with Vicki.

"Fine. Have it your way then." Fred said with a wicked grin as he took a few steps towards Vicki.

She looked at him cautiously as she was unsure of his intentions. She wasn't sure if he was joking around or if he was going to make a move on her. However she found out very quickly that Fred meant serious business when he roughly backed her up against the wall.

He felt a little nervous as he had never been so brash with Vicki before. She was always the one to make the first move in every one of their snogging situations. He wasn't sure whether she would be comfortable with him taking charge. But as he had no resistance from her, he moved his faces inches from hers.

"Hi." He grinned at her.

He studied her face intently and was absolutely pleased at what he saw. She was looking deep into his eyes and he could see a lustful look etched into her face. The only time her eyes left his were to take quick look towards his lips. He had her exactly where he wanted her.

"H-hello." She stuttered softly.

Vicki was no stranger to intimate situations. After all, she had plenty of these encounters in her previous relationship with Roger. But this was the first time she was experiencing this with Fred and it was forcing nerves to build inside of her. She had really strong feelings for Fred and they had been building up to this moment for a long time. It had caught her a little off guard but she was excited despite the nerves.

Fred basked in his glory a little longer by hovering his lips over Vicki's for a few more moments. But then he couldn't take it anymore. He had to have her.

He ungracefully smashed his lips onto hers and let his mouth run wild. Their kiss was a lot more sloppy than usual but both Fred and Vicki didn't care. Fred was using their intimate kiss as an outlet for his prior frustrations and anger. Vicki was using the kiss to relieve her stress.

Vicki deepened the kiss by passionately locking her lips with him. At first she had wrapped her arms around his shoulders to hold onto him tightly to kiss him with fervour. As their snog continued she removed her arms to slowly take hold of his hands. They held hands only for a few moments as Vicki took his hands and placed them on her sides underneath her school shirt.

Fred broke the kiss to let out a gasp at the sudden skin to skin contact. Vicki went to continue kissing him and even began to move Fred's hands further up her torso but Fred quickly removed his hands from under her shirt and took a step back.

"Sorry, did I do something wrong?" Vicki asked looking very visibly hurt.

"No. We just need to talk before we let, err, passions get in the way." Fred awkwardly stated, rubbing the back of his neck to distract himself from the uncomfortable conversation.

Vicki only gave him a swift nod as she slid her back down the wall it was pressed against to take a seat on the floor. She patted the spot next to her to indicate that she wanted Fred to sit next to her. He scrunched up his nose at the dust on the floor but then realised he didn't care about his school uniform getting dirty and popped himself down next to her.

"So…" Vicki nervously said.

Fred licked his lips as he felt the gravity of the situation hit him. It was tense. He was still full of his teenage hormones pumping through him and he wanted nothing more but to pick up where they left off moments before. But he was still incredibly hurt about Vicki's words this afternoon. It was difficult for him.

He decided to jump right in.

"I don't know how to take the fact you tried to get out of spending time with me, to spend it with Diggory instead. It was quite the slap in the face." Fred moodily pointed out.

Vicki only sent Fred a small smile. At the time she hadn't realised how poor her choice of words were to Moody, but after Fred made his dig about it earlier tonight she knew this conversation was coming.

"You know I'm not romantically involved with Cedric, right? I see him as a brother and there's no way I'd ever be able to see him in another light." Vicki asked Fred quickly.

"Dammit Vicki, I know this. I'm not insecure about the fact that you and Cedric could possibly be in love. I'm hurt because even if you don't want him to be your boyfriend it still stings you could still like him more than me – in a different way." Fred sighed.

He expected his words to make his girlfriend angry as he anticipated her to rage at him. If not angry, he thought she may get upset that he was mad. He certainly wasn't expecting her happy reaction with a large smile on her face.

"What?" He asked her in confusion.

"Oh you have no idea how happy that statement has made me," Vicki happily sighed "It's going to make it so much easier to tell you what I needed to tell you."

From there Vicki talked.

And talked.

And talked.

It was mostly a one sided conversation as Vicki had a lot of things she needed to explain to Fred. She told him about what Cedric had told her the other week – the clue that something (well, someone) loved would be taken from each champion for the upcoming task in two days. She told Fred about how Cedric had two possible choices – his sister figure (herself) or his love interest (Cho). This was the main focus of the conversation as this was the most important message that Vicki wanted to convey.

Every now and again Fred would interject with his own thoughts. He didn't say much as he wanted Vicki to finish as he didn't know what to think of what she was telling him.

"…so in summary, it's certainly not that I prefer to spend my time with Cedric. I've ditched him plenty of times to spend time with you instead. Part of it was because I wanted to dig him for more information – to see if he knew yet if it would be me or Cho chosen. But also part of it was because I did want to see Cedric before the task, yes. Tonight is the last night as I doubt I'll see him tomorrow night," Vicki summarised but then felt nervous about the end of her statement and quickly added on "The same you would do if it were George. Hell I'm surprised you didn't try to get out of this task to see Harry before the task."

"I'm sure he's with Hermione or Ron in the library, they've been in there for the past couple of nights. I guess now I know why, to prepare on how to get Harry to breathe underwater. But I'll see him in the common room sometime between now and Wednesday morning." Fred shrugged but then his face fell as realisation dawned on him. Vicki did not have that same luxury. She was in a different house to her preferred champion and thus had less chances to see him.

Vicki noticed this and sent him a small smile as she placed a hand on his shoulder. She gave him a quick squeeze before affectionately giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

Fred smile towards her before sending her a small frown.

"I'm really glad you told me. Granted I do wish you told me a bit sooner, and I hope it wasn't because we were forced to talk and it just happened to come out. But you could have easily hidden it either way. Thank you." Fred stated to his girlfriend in gratitude.

Vicki mimicked his frown as she crossed her arms. She wasn't sure whether to be playful or concerned.

"Are you going sentimental on me? That's not the Fred Weasley way. Are you feeling alright? Do I need to take you to the hospital wing?" Vicki smirked, deciding to joke around.

Fred took a few moments to ponder what she was saying. Was he okay? He was. He meant exactly what he said. He was really glad he and Vicki had a relationship strong enough to hold together when drama was thrown at them. She was brave enough to speak her problems with them, rather than let things play out and hope for the best.

Little did Fred know that the same thoughts were going through Vicki's head. She would never admit to him but she would sometimes use her previous relationship with Roger as a benchmark for her own. Every single time she did this Fred would exceed expectations and show he was the best boyfriend she could ever hope for.

Whenever she and Roger would have a tiff they were both toxic to each other. Roger would refuse to listen and would shut himself down, whilst this caused Vicki to become nervous and not openly communicate with him. This caused an unhealthy relationship, the effects of which only really came to light at the end of their relationship causing it to crash and burn rapidly. Vicki knew that the feelings she had for Roger back then were very real and she did love him at the time. But only now she did know what a successful relationship should look like.

She held no resentment towards Roger and realised she too was a contributor to why the relationship failed. They still spoke from time to time albeit a little forced and awkwardly, they were still in the same friendship circle. Roger wasn't a bad person, he just wasn't the right person for her.

It was still early days with Fred but she felt the relationship was growing a lot more organically. They had yet to be intimate, or even say 'I love you' to one another but now she was wiser about relationships she could tell she was in a healthy one.

And it wasn't right now until she realised she was in love with him. At first she thought it hit her like a tonne of bricks, but then she realised that wasn't the case. Their relationship had been a very slow burn. She knew she began to harbour feelings even before she broke up with Roger and they began to get stronger as time went on and as their relationship flourished. She couldn't pinpoint the moment she fell in love with him but knew she had been feeling that way for a while.

Vicki went to tell Fred but was cut off by him making a remark in response to her last tease.

"Well, I am feeling a little giddy. I think I do need to be seen by a healer. Luckily there is a girl right in front of me that aspires to be a healer. Feel like giving it a shot?" Fred smirked as he took a step towards Vicki and held his face very close to her own.

She wanted the perfect moment to tell him she loved him. This was close, but this was not it. She could wait.

"Okay. Describe your symptoms to me so I can diagnose what healing you require to make this go away." Vicki teased back as she bought their faces even closer together so their lips were almost touching.

"Who cares about the symptoms? I know what I want. I want you." Fred gruffly replied and before Vicki could tease him some more he wrapped his arms around her shoulders tightly and crashed his lips onto hers.

* * *

 **So this chapter took a bit longer to come out than promised in the last one, sorry. But I absolutely PROMISE the next chapter will be out in the next 12 or so hours. It's got a mini theme that some Australians might appreciate and thus it has to be released tomorrow.**


	40. Chapter 40

"I finally told Fred last night." Vicki whispered to Cedric during potions, the day before the second task.

"About the possibility of you being taken tomorrow as my hostage? How did he take it? Should I be hiding from him for the rest of the day?" Cedric jovially asked, but Vicki could sense a small hint of seriousness in his question.

"He took it really well actually. But it could be because we got pretty hot and heavy before I dropped the bombshell so I think he would have taken anything I said well." Vicki grinned.

Whilst Vicki and Cedric didn't talk about their sex lives constantly, it was bought up in conversation every now and again. Talking about crass topics was even more taboo in the wizarding world than it was in the muggle world, so it wasn't openly discussed by peers. Vicki was the only one that Cedric felt comfortable speaking about it with – he felt it was too inappropriate to speak about with his male dorm mates and Vicki was the only close female friend he had. Vicki at least had Stephanie to speak about it with (and had to endure many graphic details Stephanie had shared about her boyfriend, Kyle Stebbins). She also had her muggle friends she could discuss this with through letters.

"Er do I want to know how hot and heavy you're talking?" Cedric grimaced.

"Don't worry, nothing below the belt. It kind of went under the shirt though," Vicki playfully remarked before turning serious "Any revelations between you and Cho?"

"Do you mean if I told her about my love for her, or if there's been any action between myself and Cho? Because if it's the latter I'm not answering. A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell." Cedric responded matter-of-factly.

"Funny. Your last response to that question was a strong 'no' a few weeks ago. You would have just said the same thing again if the answer was still no. You guys have definitely done the dirty." Vicki sniggered.

"Have not!" Cedric defended quickly.

"Have so! Cedric and Cho, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G," Vicki sang loudly but then quietened her voice out of modesty "Or in this case, S-H-A-G-G-I-N-G. Although it doesn't have the same ring to it."

Her loud teasing was a lot more audible than she realised, and Vicki had gained the attention of the entire class. A few students sniggered upon her words. Unfortunately for her, it meant that Snape had also heard every word of the arrogant teasing and he was not pleased.

"Hartwell, I certainly do not wish to hear about any student kissing, thank you very much. If you dare speak up again and disrupt my class, I'll be taking house points from Ravenclaw." Snape snarled towards Vicki.

She went silent. She wanted to mutter 'git' under her breath once she lost his attention and then joke to Cedric about how Snape made that remark because clearly he wasn't getting any. However unfortunately things weren't going to go to plan due to a very bitter boy sitting behind them.

"Sir, she's been talking to Diggory for the entire lesson about inappropriate topics. Perhaps you should split them both up. I'd happily volunteer to switch seats with Diggory." Graham Montague spoke up from behind them.

Vicki sent a look of panic towards Cedric. He could do nothing but send her a reassuring smile. He was fearful that if he spoke up and said anything it would cause Snape to follow through and force Vicki next to Montague.

Vicki had still not uttered a word to Montague since the Yule Ball a couple of months prior. She guessed he was too fearful to speak to her directly – she found out later that Cedric had approached him and warned him to stay away. Fred had not threatened Montague in any way but it was pretty obvious to everyone how he would feel and react should Montague ever try with Vicki again.

This was their first interaction since he had slipped her love potion and attempted to take advantage of her. At first she was devastated for the loss of a dear friend and fearful of what had almost happened. But now she was angry. Damn angry.

"Why? So you can slip me another Love Potion like you did at the ball?" Vicki scoffed.

Her outburst shocked the entire class. It wasn't common knowledge that Montague had slipped love potion to Vicki, only a small handful of people knew about it. The use of a love potion wasn't a big deal in the wizarding world as it was seen as a harmless prank normally used by school girls. However the rare times it was used for something more sinister did not sit as well with the general public.

Therefore most students sitting in the class either shot filthy looks towards Montague, or sympathetic glances towards Vicki.

"What did I just tell you Hartwell? Ten points will be taken from Ravenclaw for speaking out of turn and disrupting my class." Snape barked towards Vicki.

Vicki was going to let it go. As quickly as anger towards Montague washed over her, it disappeared and was replaced with the same vulnerabilities and insecurities that Vicki had been feeling towards Montague and what he had done to her months prior. All she wanted was to survive the rest of the lesson and then go and see Fred after it finished for a bit of cheering up.

But for once in his life Cedric was going to stand up to a teacher. All for the sake of his dear friend.

"Sir, I must disagree with the house points being taken from Ravenclaw. As you are aware, the student in question attempted to use a potion to take serious advantage of Victoria. It's only fitting she should be able to speak up in protest of potentially being forced to sit next to her would-be abuser." Cedric quickly spoke up.

Many students nodded eagerly in support of what Cedric was saying. Maybe it was because they agreed with what he was saying, or maybe it was just because he was a Hogwarts champion. But when Snape turned around to let Cedric have it, all of the students except the Slytherins were angrily looking on.

"Diggory, this is your first and final warning against getting involved in other people's affairs. I understand you may be Hogwarts champion. It's well known the _other_ Hogwarts champion has a nasty habit of arrogantly poking his nose where it doesn't belong too. Should you ever try a stunt like that again you'll be getting a lot more than house points deducted." Snape spat at Cedric with complete loathing before gliding to the front of the classroom and quickly speaking about the lesson to change the topic.

Both Vicki and Cedric remained quiet after Snape's outburst as they were both too fearful to speak up. Even though she couldn't express her gratitude towards Cedric she was deeply touched by the sentiment. Cedric was even more of a suck-up than she was, and she had never witnessed him so much as politely disagree with a teacher before. For him to defend her so vigorously was a very big deal and she very much appreciated it.

"Thank you. I'll never forget this." Vicki said to Cedric as they began to pack up at the end of lesson.

"You've really been there for me this year Vicki. It's the least I could do." Cedric modestly shrugged.

Both of them went silent as they watched Montague out of the corner of their eyes. He seemed to be loitering around as he was packing up his belongings at a very slow pace. Vicki used to work with him in potions prior to her relationship in Roger, she remembered him as being a student who quickly shoved everything into his bag and bounded out as quickly as possible. This was out of character.

Two Gryffindor girls seemed to notice this too as they took a spot either side of Cedric and Vicki. They didn't say anything but kept glowering towards Montague.

Once Montague had packed up he had no other excuses to dawdle to wait to get Vicki alone. He was forced to speak to Vicki with both Gryffindor girls, and Cedric present.

"I wouldn't recommend having two loser Gryffindor Quidditch players as bodyguards, Vicki. The entire school knows both Johnson and Spinnet are useless." Montague snarled towards the foursome.

"If we're losers, what does that mean? Considering we pummeled you last year in the final." Angelina Johnson snickered towards Montague.

"If you really did poison poor Hartwell here, I'm pretty sure you've lost the privilege to refer to her by her first name. So you can move along, Montague." Alicia Spinnet spat as she backed up her best friend Angelina.

Vicki was surprised that Johnson and Spinnet were defending her. They had only spoken a few lines to each other during their school careers. Vicki also knew that Alicia Spinnet wasn't her biggest fan. Vicki guessed they were only standing up for her because they were good friends with Fred and this was for Fred's sake. But she still welcomed it.

Montague looked between the four. Johnson and Spinnet looked on angrily as Diggory took a step towards him to tower over him menacingly. He then focused all of his attention upon Victoria who was averting her gaze to avoid eye contact with him.

He had been biding his time since the ball and was waiting for the best time to speak to her. Unfortunately for him the perfect time never arose. She had made herself scarce immediately after the ball and before he could even blink she had entered into a relationship with Weasley.

Montague had been hoping that Weasley was just a rebound relationship for Vicki. It would make sense – she had only grown close to him as her relationship with Roger was crashing and burning. Montague was hopeful Vicki and Weasley didn't have any special bond compared to the one in his head he believed he had with the girl. But almost two months later they were growing strong.

He couldn't help himself. He had to speak up earlier. He also had to keep going.

"Can we talk? Please? We've been friends since the start of Hogwarts, I still consider you my oldest and dearest friend. I'd love to smooth things over." Montague pleaded, as he grabbed one of Vicki's hands to emphasise his point.

She quickly recoiled it in horror but remained silent. This entire time she had tried to push what he had done to her to the back of her mind and not let it affect her. But now all of her emotional stonewalling was coming undone as this was the first time he had even spoken to her since the Yule Ball.

She was about to be rescued by two unlikely heroes.

"C'mon Vicki. Let's get you away from this desperate loser." Roger Davies muttered as he put a hand on his ex-girlfriends back and began to escort her out of the classroom.

"How sad. You can only get a girl if you slip them a Love Potion. I'd die of shame if that were me!" Phillip Bridge teased as he followed the two, acting as a second barrier between Vicki and Montague.

Both Roger and Phillip continued to escort Vicki, they were silent as they all walked briskly up through the castle until they reached the Ravenclaw common room. Roger answered the riddle correctly to get into the common room ('The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?' Roger correctly answered 'Footsteps').

There weren't many people around as most students would still be coming back from their last class, or potentially skipping dumping their lesson materials in their dorm and going straight to dinner instead. Therefore they were given almost complete privacy.

"Thanks, guys. I know it's not in your usual repertoire to help a damsel in distress but it's very much appreciated." Vicki weakly smiled towards the two.

"I was there that night. I remember it all. It wasn't right what he did," Roger frowned before he continued on "We may not be together anymore but I'll always consider you a good mate. I still care about your wellbeing."

Vicki smiled upon hearing Roger's words. It was a strange but comforting feeling to her. To be standing in front of the one she used to be deeply in love with, but now she was in love with somebody else. Her feelings for Roger had long faded (she now realised her feelings for Fred began whilst she was still with Roger) but it was nice to have this conversation.

Until now, she and Roger had been awkwardly avoiding each other. They ran in the same social circle so when Vicki wasn't with Fred she was in Roger's presence but they barely conversed with one another.

Vicki felt what she had with Fred was perhaps even stronger and more passionate than what she had with Roger. But Roger would always be her first love and that meant something to her.

"You too, Rodge. I'll always think you're pretty cool." Vicki nodded as she had trouble expressing her feelings in words.

"That's the thing isn't it? You can't ever un-sleep with someone." Phillip crassly stated.

"You!" Vicki shouted at Phillip in frustration but then immediately softened as a small grin came over her face "You surprised me today. Didn't take you for the chivalrous type."

"What can I say? Only I get to make your life hell, Hartwell. That and I saw the opportunity to mock a Slytherin Quidditch player." Phillip responded in an attempt to be lighthearted.

Silence then fell upon the trio. It wasn't uncommon for Ravenclaws to sometimes have trouble with emotional conversations and this was no exception.

The common room started to fill up as students were coming to drop off their belongings and leaving to go to dinner. This gave the three an opportunity to depart from one another.

"You guys coming to dinner? I'm starving!" Phillip exclaimed as he jabbed his thumb towards the spiral staircase and took a few steps towards it.

"Yep. Vicki, coming?" Roger added on as he turned to address Vicki.

Vicki bit her lip as she thought about it. She didn't want to cause negativity to arise after such a positive chat with the two, but the gravity of the situation hit her. Going to dinner meant that she would need to see Montague again. She doubted he would have the bravery to approach her in front of the entire school, but she didn't want to see him at all. She also knew the gossip had probably spread on what had happened and she didn't feel like facing the rest of the school.

"Nah. I'm not hungry. I'll catch up with you guys another time." Vicki meekly stated.

The two boys only nodded and descended down the stairs. They didn't see any value in arguing with her or trying to convince her to go with them so they left without a fight.

Vicki let out a small sigh as she went to one of the many bookcases in the common room and grabbed a book. She used to love reading when she was younger. But now she was nearing her final year of Hogwarts she never found the time to enjoy a good book.

She retreated to one of the comfortable alcoves that overlooked the castle and opened her chosen book.

* * *

"Um…Vicki?" Vicki heard a voice say and she looked up from her book and saw Cho Chang standing in front of her.

"Hey. What's up?" Vicki smiled towards the slightly younger student.

"Your boyfriend is hanging around downstairs on the fifth floor. He wanted me to ask you to go out and meet him." Cho nervously stated as she felt a little bad for interrupting Vicki.

Cho also found Vicki a little intimidating. They were friends and they spent a lot of time together after hours in the common room alongside Steph Fawcett. Cho appreciated that she and Vicki were in the same boat – they had popular boyfriends in different houses so they both faced similar relationship hurdles. Cho honestly did not hold a single ounce of resentment or ill feelings towards Vicki.

But she was still slightly threatened by Vicki. Vicki had a special bond with Cedric and it made Cho a little uncomfortable.

"Ah. Right. Well, I better go meet him then." Vicki said as she jumped off the alcove.

Although Vicki didn't want to see the rest of the school she certainly wasn't avoiding Fred. She also found it incredibly sweet he had gone out of his way to see her. She took no time in bidding Cho goodbye as she quickly raced down the steps and made her way outside of Ravenclaw tower.

In the distance she could see Fred pacing the corridor.

As a few students were coming and going he hadn't noticed Vicki approaching him. She studied his form as she made her way over. He seemed concerned as he kept his gaze downwards in his pacing. Very out of character for the normally overconfident Fred Weasley.

"Hey. You wanted to see me?" Vicki asked Fred as she approached him.

Fred looked up immediately upon hearing his girlfriend's voice. He watched her face intensely. Although he had only grown close to her this year he still knew her very well and could read her very easily. She held a small smile on her face but he could tell she was keeping herself guarded.

He also knew her personality very well. He knew exactly how to respond to this.

"I just thought you might want my company. We can either talk about what happened in your potions class, or not talk about it and move on. Let me know." Fred cautiously approached but gave a shrug of his shoulders to show he was being nonchalant about his statement.

Vicki smiled. This is exactly what she wanted. She couldn't believe how lucky she was to have Fred as her boyfriend.

"There's not much to really say. It was a shock to converse with Montague again, but that's it. What he did to me was disgusting but I'm lucky that you and Roger were there that night to make sure nothing happened. I don't want it to affect my life, or our relationship. That's all I really have to say." Vicki shrugged.

"Alright." Fred said cheerfully as he put an arm around Vicki and placed a lazy kiss on the side of her head.

This was it. This was the time for Vicki to say she loved him. It may not have been the perfect setting or as carefully orchestrated as Vicki would have liked. But she didn't need fancy shenanigans or a big song and dance to tell Fred her true feelings. Their relationship was built on something a lot deeper.

"Vicki?" Fred asked her, speaking up before she could get the chance.

"Yeah?" Vicki shot back, feeling nervous as she lost control of the conversation.

"I love you." Fred confessed.

"Y-you do?" Vicki asked in shock.

She was overjoyed but caught off guard by Fred's confession as it came moments before her own. So much excitement ran through her that her brain stopped functioning and it stopped her from responding properly and telling him she felt the same way.

Past situations with Vicki normally caused Fred to grow nervous when he was unsure of whether she felt the same way that he did. But in this instance there was no uncertainty. She loved him back and he knew it.

Once Vicki wrapped her head around what Fred was saying she knew she had something to do. She needed to tell him that she returned her feelings. It was easy. It was now the perfect time.

Unfortunately for her before she could do this, Professor McGonagall briskly marched up to the two. They had been so wrapped up in Fred's declaration of love they hadn't noticed her approaching.

"Sorry professor. I know public displays of affections aren't allowed." Vicki quickly stammered out as she sprung away from her boyfriend's embrace.

McGonagall only looked between the two lovers and sent them both a glum look. She knew what was coming ahead for the both of them. She thought they were blissfully unaware and she was about to take that away from them both. She was half right – they both were aware of what was required in the upcoming task. They just had yet to know the full story.

"Miss Hartwell, I need you to escort me to my office." Professor McGonagall requested of Vicki.

Before Vicki could respond to protest, Professor McGonagall turned to address Fred.

"Mr Weasley, I need you to go find Miss Granger alongside your youngest brother and bring them both to my office. I believe they are most likely in the library with Mr Potter." Professor McGonagall instructed Fred.

Both Vicki and Fred looked at each other and shrugged. They both had no idea what was going on and what was ahead of them both but they knew they would be reunited soon in Professor McGonagall's office. They only gave each other a brisk hug under Professor McGonagall's watchful eye and both departed in opposite directions – with Vicki following Professor McGonagall.

The two walked silently throughout the castle to make their way to Professor McGonagall's office. There were plenty of students walking throughout the castle so there wasn't complete silence, but Vicki could feel tension. Something bad was certainly going on.

"So…how about them Montrose Magpies then, eh?" Vicki weakly asked Professor McGonagall in order to break the negative mood.

It was well known by all of the students that Professor McGonagall was an avid supporter of the Montrose Magpies. Apparently her family had followed them for generations as she had a very strong Scottish heritage. It was the only known way of being able to break down McGonagall's cold exterior. She'd never give special favours for Magpie supporters but on occasion she had been known for becoming a little less harsh in a lesson when someone had brought up their winning streak.

"Yes, they are doing quite well aren't they? I didn't know you supported them. I didn't think you had any Scottish in you." Professor McGonagall stated in small surprise.

"Well, I kind of support them. Even as a full blooded English woman. Apparently my paternal grandfather was almost drafted for them before he um, went missing. But my great uncle who raised my father forced him to support them growing up as my grandfather almost played for them." Vicki explained.

The mood between teacher and student was still somber even though Vicki had mentioned Professor McGonagall's beloved Magpies. Silence fell between the two again as there was no response to Vicki's explanation. Therefore in an effort to try and continue on with her plan of lightening the mood, she decided to tell Professor McGonagall some facts she may not have known.

"That great uncle moved to Australia actually. He's a squib so he didn't really feel like supporting any Australian Quidditch teams. They have this sport in Australia that's their own version of football. I don't really understand it. But there's some team there called the Collingwood Magpies so he decided to go for them purely because they were a black and white Magpie team." Vicki stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh, I didn't know this. Are they as successful as our great Montrose Magpie Quidditch team?" Professor McGonagall asked curiously.

Vicki let out a small smile. She had done it, she had managed to lighten the mood a little.

"I'm not sure actually, I don't really know much about them. Uncle William mentioned they have the record for most consecutive grand finals won to date. Apparently they're the most hated team in their league too, but it might not be because of their success. Something about most of their fans being unsavoury types." Vicki shrugged.

The conversation was dropped pretty suddenly as they both arrived outside of Professor McGonagall's office. This was it. Vicki was about to find out what was going on.

* * *

 **Mini theme of the chapter = AFL (Australian Football League) grand final. Which is today. CARN THE PIES! Collingwood Magpies 2018 baby! Hopefully I don't eat my words in a few hours if they lose.**

 **Now the million dollar question - who's going to get chosen - Cho or Vicki? Find out next chapter.**


End file.
